


Baking Buns

by MissWhitneyBex



Category: Reign (TV)
Genre: F/M, Infertility, Miscarriage, Romance, Slow Burn, parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27293851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissWhitneyBex/pseuds/MissWhitneyBex
Summary: After bemoaning over the fact that she's still single at thirty without kids as her friends have both, Mary decides to fix the second part by enlisting the help of her guy best friend since childhood, Francis. Frary. Modern AU.
Relationships: Aloysius Castleroy/Greer Norwood, Felipe II de España | Philip II of Spain/Elisabeth de Valois (Reign), Henry II of France/Catherine de' Medici (Reign), Kenna/Sebastian "Bash" de Poitiers, Lola Fleming/Stéphane Narcisse, Mary Stuart/Francis de Valois (Reign)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 30





	1. The Suggestion

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, Ao3. This is my first story on this site as I frequent FF. This story is on both sites so no one will miss out. The title is a pun, about the age-old saying about buns baking in ovens when referring to babies so I hope you enjoy that little joke and hope you guys enjoy my debut on this site.

"Just look at him," Mary hears for the billionth time. "He's so precious!"

Mary looks at the phone screen and smiles tightly. "Yeah, he is."

"When are you having children?" Her mother asks. "You are pushing thirty-"

"Mum!"

"Your birthday's next week," Marie continues as she scrolls through the other photos of James's new baby son. 

Mary groans inwardly and excuses herself from her mother's presence. She thought this Sunday dinner would be tolerable. She could be at home, watching Netflix or Amazon Prime shows and films but she decided to be kind and attend since her brother bailed with excuses about his new son not sleeping through the night.

Little Harold is not the only baby in Mary's life right now. Her best friends have kids and just the other month, Kenna gave birth to a daughter _and_ managed to get back to size zero within a couple of weeks. Lola had a girl four months back too and Greer's on her third child that is currently baking in the oven. She's the only one out of her friendship group that isn't in a relationship or has kids.

So, there go girls' nights out forever.

It doesn't help that she's single as fuck. She's had long-term relationships but one got violent and frightening real quick and the other one was a love rat so she's more or less done with men. She will rather be a single mother if one of them managed to get her pregnant but she doesn't really want a kid with a violent man or a cheating son of a bitch.

Her phone beeps with a text and she reads it, a smile growing on her face as she rolls her eyes hard.

{ **From Francis Valois:** I'm in the country for your 30th. But I may have arrived a week early so desperately need a place to stay, pretty please? x}

She knows he has enough to afford a hotel room but knowing Francis and how they partied hard for his own thirtieth since her best friends were at home tending to babies and kids and his brother had to work to provide for his kids with Kenna, she is certain that they will enjoy her upcoming birthday with a lot of alcohol and bitching about their busy family members or friends.

{ **To Francis Valois:** If you wanted a spot in my bed, you should have just said ;) Sure, come on over, I'll be home soon xx}

If one of her friends was looking over her shoulder, they'd pester her about how flirty her text back seems. She and Francis play with each other, test the boundaries to the point that people believe they were an item before stating that they were only friends and probably will forever be _just_ friends. 

They had sex twice when they were in university but that was when they were majorly drunk at parties and both admitted that it was better it was with each other than some random who may or may not have an STI.

It's not like Mary doesn't find Francis attractive, she sees the jealous glances she receives from girls who think they're together but Francis sees her like a little sister, who he seldom shares suggestive jokes with. No one shares sexual jokes with their little sister so their relationship is complicated at this point.

And she can't forget his long-time on-off girlfriend, Olivia d'Amencourt. A pretty blonde with a tiny waist and small but sexy boobs which always spill out whatever stupid dress she wears at gatherings Mary just happens to be invited to by Francis's parents. It's not like he can't invite her himself, he just doesn't want to make his girlfriend feel threatened.

According to their weekly chat last week, he and Olivia are even thinking about marriage, the bloody idiots. If Francis gets married, Mary will be the last one in their friendship group to have a relationship.

{ **From Francis Valois:** Thanks, can't wait to snuggle! Love you, see you soon.}

Sighing, Mary only smiles at the text wryly before heading into the living room to wish her mother and stepfather 'farewell' for now. She's got a bed to make before her guest arrives.

* * *

"God, I've missed you," Francis breathes out, hugging Mary tightly before shifting his suitcase beside her door and closing the door. "Who else is down for a week-long party?"

Mary gives him a mock glare and he chuckles, raising a hand up in defence. "You and I both know they all cancelled because they're mothers."

"It's your thirtieth!"

"Tell them that!" Mary cries out, flopping down onto her sofa. She lives in a neat townhouse with bedrooms enough to house at least three kids but she's all alone and with her friends cancelling on her, she's even more alone.

Francis sighs heavily. "Right, get your coat."

"What?"

"We're going out."

She turns to give him a look. "I'm not dressed for-"

"Trust me, you are," Francis cuts her off, pulling her off her sofa and shoving her jean jacket into her arms. "Please?"

Mary groans and smiles tightly. "Take me away, Your Majesty."

They end up at Tesco's, Francis pushing the trolley into the alcohol aisle. There's a wonderful selection of drinks Mary wants to try but she'd rather not waste all of her money on alcohol, her job's paying enough for her bills, food and a few new bags and jewellery at the end of the month. And she _never_ wants to ask her mother for money so she lives within her means.

"Choose anything you like and make it add up to thirty bottles. One for each year of your life," Francis tells her. "It can be hard, it can be fruity, whatever you want. I'll pay."

Mary bites back a grin before hurrying between each row of alcohol, Francis following dutifully. She stuffs two into the trolley at a time, not bothering to check the cost to be kind to Francis. He can afford it.

When she's done taking all of the alcohol she wants, they grab snacks and a carton of milk and Francis's favourite cereal since he's staying over indefinitely. Their trolley gets a few raised brows but Mary ignores them as she stuffs a bottle of chewing gum into the growing pile.

"We need bread, ham and cheese. Oh, and steaks," Francis tells her. "I'm cooking since you're letting me stay."

"You don't have to," Mary chides him, linking her arm with his as he pushes the trolley into the next aisle. "Having you be here is enough. At least I'm not going to be stuck with my mother for my birthday."

"Did you really think I'd miss you turning thirty?" Francis asks her. "It's important. You're leaving your twenties behind. Bring on the back pains and knee cracks."

Mary snorts. "I'm not one leg into a coffin, Francois," she replies. "Chill."

"I'm just saying, when I turned thirty, I think I saw my first grey hair," he tells her, making her laugh at his pout.

"You're still young to me, Francis," she says warmly.

* * *

"...if I look at one more picture of your new niece, I'll have to drown you in Vodka," Mary slurs, tearing her eyes away from Kenna and Bash's new baby. She's seen enough of the unnamed baby to last her a lifetime, it's just a reminder that she's not a mum yet.

Francis sighs wistfully, placing his glass on the coffee table as he shifts on his pillow on the floor. "I want a kid... Turning thirty has been a real eye-opener..."

Mary turns to him, her brows furrowed. "You want a kid?"

"Yeah. Many kids, actually," he says wistfully.

"You and Olivia will get married one day and have kids-"

"Olivia and I are done, for good," Francis cuts her off, taking another sip of his drink. "She doesn't want kids and suddenly, me turning thirty wasn't too attractive to her. She's got a toy boy."

Mary chokes on her drink, Francis patting her back lightly. "She's our age!"

"Yeah, and he's just turned eighteen," Francis replies. "I don't care, to be honest. Mum loved her at the start but then she became fake and Mum wanted to be rid of her on the Christmas dinner list and permanently."

Mary giggles softly. "Your mother's dramatic."

"I get that from her," Francis says with a small grin. "Yeah, so I'm single and really broody."

Mary sighs and takes a long sip from her drink. "Same."

"I get jealous of Bash, Leeza, Margot and even Claude."

"Claude has a baby?!"

Francis chuckles and nods, unlocking his phone to show her a picture of yet another baby in his family. "Lawrence. She didn't know she was pregnant until she gave birth to her ex-boyfriend's kid in our parents' downstairs bathroom."

"And she didn't question her weight gain?"

"You know how Claude is, her head's in the clouds and she put it down to stress-eating," Francis replies, shaking his head in slight belief. "But she doesn't regret having him so that's good. She's a good mum."

Mary smiles. "That's good."

"There are too many babies around us for that to be normal," Francis tells her with a heavy sigh. "It's the universe saying, 'get cracking on it'."

Mary ponders that thought. They're drunkenly musing but her idea seems completely sane to her. She does need to 'get cracking on it'. Babies are wonderful and she loves kids and really wants some of her own. She can't wait for Mr Right to turn up. What if he never turns up?

"Why don't _we_ have a baby?" She asks quietly.

Francis spits his drink out and turns to her with wide eyes. Then he starts laughing. "You and me? How would that work?"

Mary scowls. "Oh, nice-"

"No!" Francis cries out, sobering up. "I didn't mean it like that..."

"I get it, you see me like your sister-"

"No, I..." Francis groans, slapping his forehead. "I'm stupid. Just let me think, okay?"

Mary tuts. "Sure."

After a short while, Francis says, "If _we_ have a kid, how would we go about it? Would we have sex or...?"

Mary hasn't thought about that but it's not like they've not had sex before. _Twice_ , she remembers. But they were younger then, more innocent than they are now. It was okay for them to risk their relationship back then but now, they're adults with jobs and mortgages. They can't just go and have sex like that. 

"You could be a sperm donor. Friends do that," Mary suggests. "Like we could go to the IUI clinic and... well, it's pretty self-explanatory."

Francis nods slowly. "Yeah, that's an idea. I've never been a sperm donor. Will you pay me money?"

Mary laughs when she hears his teasing tone. "You're funny," she tells him.

"Think of it as goodwill," he replies lightly. "My genetically perfect sperm in return for someone to call me 'daddy'."

"I'm not calling you 'daddy'," Mary says, making them laugh in their drunken haze.

"I don't mean you, stupid!" Francis rolls his eyes. "But I wouldn't mind you calling me that."

Mary shoves his shoulder lightly. "Shut up."

"I meant when you're referring to our future kid. Get your mind out of the gutter, missy!" Francis cries out.

"You're the one who started it," she says cheekily. "So, are we doing this?"

A smile grows on Francis's face as he nods. "Yeah, we're doing this. We're having a baby."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Ao3 is a little confusing for me to get around but I'm getting a hang of it and hope to update this story on here regularly. Thanks for reading!


	2. Birthday Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary is surprised on her birthday and she makes sure that her plans to have a baby with Francis are solidified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I want this story to have a comedic tone at the same time as some drama and soft touches on real-life matters and the show's canon storylines. So I hope you like this chapter.

"Answer the door, will you?" Mary groans from her sofa. They've been drinking non-stop for the past week that it's Mary's birthday already and now, she just wants to stuff her face with cake and sleep.

"Why don't you? It's your house," Francis replies from the floor, curled up in a ball.

The doorbell rings again and Mary groans. She really doesn't want to answer the door but it might be her mother or brother or some relative who has decided to turn up unexpectedly to celebrate her birthday.

"Fine, let the Birthday Girl do everything," Mary says, getting up and making an attempt to fix her hair before answering the door. She opens it wide and her eyes widen at the sight of her best friends holding bottles of champagne, balloons, flowers and presents. "Uh... What are you doing here?"

Kenna narrows her eyes. "Excuse me? Did you really think we'd ditch you on your thirtieth?"

"Have you got other plans?" Greer asks her curiously.

Mary's eyes water and she grins. "So you didn't cancel on me?"

"Are you insane? Of course not! It was a surprise, Mary!" Lola cries out. "Let us in, already!"

Mary stills and turns her head to see a shirtless Francis still on the floor, his eyes closed. It's August, the weather is crazy hot so they had a little strip session. That's when she realises that she's wearing a vest and pyjama shorts and Francis is only in his boxers. On her living room floor.

That's really questionable.

"Honey, I really don't like sweating and the sun's on me so can you step aside and let us in?" Kenna asks her, cringing at the sun with a scowl.

"One minute, please," Mary says, closing the door to their protests before heading to wake Francis up. "The girls are here. It was a 'surprise' thing!"

Francis slowly opens his eyes. "I'm happy for you. But why does that mean you have to wake me up?"

"They'll think you and me..." She points to their clothing and he chuckles, sitting up from his position to give her a smirk.

"How many times have they caught us having sex, Mary?"

"Twice but we didn't have sex now," she states, chucking him his shirt before pulling him up and grabbing his shorts. "Now, head upstairs and grab a shower or something. Just stay away from downstairs."

Francis scoffs. "I can't grab something to eat?"

Mary eyes the packet of Sensations crisps on the table and chucks it in his arms. "There's breakfast. Now, up."

He heads up the stairs and she quickly sticks some gum into her mouth before opening the door for her friends and grinning.

"Sorry about that," she says, wavering under Kenna's glare. "The house is a mess and-"

"We know a certain someone is here," Kenna tells her, entering the house first and looking around. "Did you really think Francis wouldn't tell Bash that he's around? Poor thing was hungover during their brunch yesterday."

Mary raises her brows. _That's where he disappeared off to yesterday. And there was me thinking he was looking for my birthday gift_ , she thinks before accepting her wrapped gifts from them and closing the door behind Greer.

"Y-Yeah, I've seen Francis around," Mary stammers. "He's staying at a hotel nearby. I was going to grab dinner with him today _after_ certain someones told me they were cancelling on me!"

Lola giggles, kissing her cheeks. "We have a whole day planned for you. Spa, first of all. Then afternoon tea at the Ritz before a dinner prepared by yours truly. I've kicked my husband and kids out to Stephane's son's place for the evening so the house is ours."

Mary gets teary-eyed as she hugs each of them. "I guess being surprised is better than thinking I was spending my birthday alone. Turning thirty is... hard."

"Tell me about it," Kenna says, still attempting to look for something. "Is he upstairs, Mary?"

"Kenna, I just said-"

"Francis! It's your favourite sister-in-law calling!" Kenna calls out, heading up the stairs. "Have you been spending your nights in Mary? Hello?"

Mary glares up at Kenna before going to put her new flowers in vases. She opens up her presents as Kenna returns, pouting. "Found any wild blonde men up there?"

"No," Kenna says, rolling her eyes. "So you really didn't get birthday sex."

Mary snorts. She hasn't had birthday sex in three years since her last serious relationship. The guy didn't even remember it was her birthday, it was just another day of sex for him but luckily, Francis turned her day around with a surprise trip to New York. It pays to have rich friends.

"Contrary to belief, no one wants to shag their best friend," Mary says before pausing. "More than twice."

"You reek of alcohol, babe," Greer finally pipes up. "Is that Malibu? God, I love Malibu-"

"You're pregnant," Mary reminds her, a stinging sensation in her heart before she realises that it's going to happen for her and she smiles to herself. She and Francis will make their baby and co-parent that wonderful child and...

She has to tell her friends and family.

She can't just rock up to stuff with a bump. They'd think she has got knocked up after a one-night stand and attempt to hunt the guy down to kill and bury in the middle of nowhere.

Greer whines. "God, I want to live vicariously through you, Mary," she says.

Mary raises a brow. "Why me?"

She knows why her. Because she has no kids nor is she pregnant. And Kenna and Lola are breast-feeding so it makes sense why their schedule for the day has no alcohol involved, apart from the one champagne glass. When have they ever gone for afternoon tea at the Ritz since they were kids forced to socialise with their mothers who believed themselves to be so elite, they had weekly afternoon teas?

"One sip, please," Greer begs her. "For my baby." She even rubs her bump for good measure and she grins when Mary pours herself a little in a clean glass and drinks it. "That's my girl. Been knocking them back since fifteen."

"Shut up," Mary laughs, blushing. "Actually, I've got something to tell you guys. But I need a shower because as Greer said, I reek of alcohol and my liver is not how it used to be so I need to detox for a bit."

Kenna nods, looking through the fridge. "Go ahead, I'll make you some breakfast."

Mary thanks her with a squeeze on her shoulder before heading up her stairs to her bedroom. She finds her door open and figures it's Kenna before heading inside and finding her window wide open.

"It's safe to come out," she says, closing her bedroom door as she watches Francis climb into her room from the little ledge outside her bedroom. She chuckles in disbelief and turns to grab her towel from her dresser, feeling him wrap his arms around her waist.

"She's scary," he mumbles, pressing a kiss on the back of her head before letting go. "I just jumped out without thinking."

"She will never shut up about it."

"Thanks for the warning," he replies. "Bash won't shut up about it either."

Mary bites her lip, turning to face him. "I'm telling them first. About our plan if it's still on?"

"My mind hasn't changed since last week, Mary," Francis says softly. "I want this if you do." He eyes her stomach. "Imagine it, a kid of our own. A little person to love more than ourselves... And our parents off our backs."

"I'm not complaining," Mary says, chuckling softly. "I've got to go and shower. Got a long day ahead of me."

"Have fun. I'll have your present waiting for you when you come home," Francis promises her before she disappears into the bathroom. "Mary?"

She comes back out and faces him. "Yeah?"

"Happy Birthday, Beautiful."

* * *

"...the best gift, ever given to me?" Kenna asks Mary.

Mary nods, sliding the card she's just read onto the table underneath the pile. It's a simple game, they used to play this back in university. "Yeah, so go on."

"The gift of motherhood," Kenna says with the other women except for Mary gushing. "I have been so blessed to be a mother."

"And the worst gift?" Mary asks, sipping her champagne.

Kenna gives them all a look. "The gift of motherhood."

Mary sputters out her drink, laughing loudly. "Wait, what?"

Kenna scoffs lightly, downing her drink. "I love sex as much as the next person but every time it ends with a bun in the oven, my downstairs gets fucked up and my boobs are heavy and my back aches all the time. I have been pregnant, _twice_ and no, it doesn't get easier. Don't even get me started on our sex life being non-existent because Raven loves crying every other second at three in the morning and Robin always thinks there are monsters under his bed so loves bursting that door open right when we're about to-God!"

"Be glad you haven't got kids yet," Greer says to Mary. "The biggest cockblockers of life."

"It can't be that bad," Mary says, flinging her hair over her shoulder and sticking her knife into her steak. "There must be wonderful moments like shaping up the next leaders of tomorrow."

"Or little shits," Kenna says simply, making Lola and Greer nod. "I'm happy for you, Mary. Happy that your vagina is still wonderful and your figure is just... _gorgeous_. You don't want to ruin that."

Mary clicks her tongue. "So you all hate your kids?"

"We hate the process of growing them but overall, they're the best things to happen to us," Lola tells her.

"Great," Mary says, disheartened. "My mother's telling me to give her a grandkid and I want kids but... You guys aren't really selling it..." _Maybe Francis should hold his horses or whatever he calls his little swimmers..._ , she thinks with a sigh.

"No, you should have a kid," Kenna says. "Ignore us. We're just glad to have _one night_ of freedom from breastfeeding and cleaning up sick but that's not forever. They'll be kids who will be independent or teenagers who think we're embarrassing but watching someone grow up, someone who is proud to call your their mother... it's great. Just be prepared to keep your sex life on hold until they're ten."

Mary laughs a little and sits up straighter, putting her glass down. "I'm having a baby."

She sees their mouths drop open as their eyes lower down to her stomach. Then Kenna yelps and grabs the bottle of champagne they've opened before heading to the sink.

"Shit, Mary, why didn't you tell us before we got you drinking?!"

"I'm not pregnant now!" Mary cries out, laughing. "I'm _trying_ for a baby. But I haven't exactly started the process."

Lola raises her brows. "The sane part of me thought you were probably adopting or fostering with how you were going with this, but you're going to have a baby in you? Who's the dad?"

"When did you get into another relationship?" Greer asks as well.

"I'm going to a fertility clinic. I'm seeking an IUI," Mary tells them shyly. "And I've got a sperm donor."

"I am hearing you," Kenna starts. "But what are these words coming out of your mouth, right now?!"

"Is our Mary finally joining our Mums' Squad?" Lola asks tearfully as Greer sniffles too.

Mary beams and nods. "Y-Yeah. What do you thi-"

Kenna is the first one to pull her into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Joining the hug, Greer and Lola stain the top of Mary's head with tears, telling her words of encouragement and approval for her decision. And there was Mary, terrified that they wouldn't approve but she knows they've always got her back. It's her mother she has to look out for.

"So, do you know exactly who this sperm donor is?" Kenna asks once they're seated back in their chairs.

Mary wonders if she should tell them it's Francis. If they have a kid, their baby will be cousins with Kenna's kids. She decides to keep that to herself, for now, shaking her head.

"To be honest, I'm still going through the applications," she says. "But I've got a potential one but I'm not too sure."

"You want a cute baby," Greer says. "If you nor the father aren't at a level of attractiveness then you're going to be stuck with an ugly baby."

Mary giggles, shaking her head. "Trust me, I'll make sure my baby is cute," she says, knowing just how attractive Francis is. "I can't wait to be a mum. I figured if the universe won't give me a decent guy to settle down with, I might as well do this myself. There are single parents going about and being wonderful and raising amazing kids. Why can't I do the same?"

Lola nods. "You'll be wonderful."

"Should we toast to Mary's baby news?" Greer asks, raising her sparkling juice.

"To Mary!" The women chorus, leaving Mary blushing and grinning.

"Happy Birthday, Mum-to-be!" Kenna squeals.

* * *

When she gets home, she kicks her heels off at the door and dumps her purse onto the sofa before heading into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She finds Francis pulling out a cake from the fridge and he grins when he looks up and spots her, placing the cake on the counter island.

"You're cutting it fine, missy," he says. "It's almost the end of your birthday and you didn't even have your cake?"

It's a chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting and candles stating her age on the top. Her favourite.

"I'm here now," she says softly, going to wash her hands before grabbing two small plates and dessert forks.

Francis starts singing 'Happy Birthday' and she shies her face into his shoulder before she blows out the candles with his applause and whistles. "Now, cut us some slices."

She cuts two large slices and Francis playfully rolls his eyes as she dishes them out and they both dig in. "It tastes wonderful," she gushes. "Thank you so much. For everything. For coming last week and spending this week with me. For being the father to my future kid... Thirty is starting to look really good for me, thanks to you."

"No problem," Francis replies, moving in to peck her cheek but she turns her head and their lips meet. He quickly pulls away, cursing. "I didn't mean that-"

"That was me, sorry," she laughs softly, eyeing her cake. "Uh, I'll save some for my mother when I see her tomorrow. I've told the girls about me trying for an IUI, nothing about you and I'll do the same with my mother..."

Francis nods a little. "So bedtime?"

"Yeah, bedtime," Mary says. "But not before finishing this. It's really good."

Francis smiles. "And you haven't even been given your gift yet."

"Let's wait until the morning," Mary tells him. "I'm feeling tired."

"Okay. I'll be up soon. I'll just clean up," he replies.

She finishes her cake slice and heads up with her purse and heels. Her tongue rests on her bottom lip where he kissed her and she blushes, feeling tingly. But they don't like each other like that. Romance always ruins friendships built from childhood.

And she has to admit it to herself that she has always been in love with Francis Valois and now, they will have a child to connect them forever regardless of his feelings towards her.

No, she can't ruin this. It's her only chance right now to be a mother.

And she will take it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They had a kiss! Not that they haven't shared others but there is something between them that they don't know whether or not to go with it. But for now...


	3. The Fertility Clinic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and Francis head to the fertility clinic to get information and tested in the first steps of getting their child. They also bring up that kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So FF isn't working, I'll mostly update on Ao3 until it gets sorted so both sets of readers can enjoy this. It's really annoying, the admins aren't doing anything so I'm sorry there was a delay. I have a bunch of chapters ready for release but I thought I could update both FF and Ao3 at the same time but with FF down, it's going to have to go here. Enjoy two chapters and I hope there is a way people will remember that Ao3 also has Baking Buns. I came this close to deleting it on FF and reuploading it but I'm glad I didn't after finding out that other people experienced the same issues as I have. Rant over, onto the next chapter with chapter 4 following soon after.

"Oh my God, Francis," Mary breathes out, staring at her birthday gift in shock. "Wh-What...?"

It's a necklace with her birthstone, peridot, in the heart-shaped white-gold pendant. Before she can even lift it up, he gently takes it and opens it up, revealing it to be a locket.

"I'd been already planning to get you this because you said something about wanting a locket back on your twentieth and... Now, you can put our baby's photo in it," Francis tells her.

Mary takes the locket from his hands and looks it over before closing it and returning it. "Help me put it on, please?" She brings her hair up and he stands behind her, clasping the necklace on before taking his seat again. "It's beautiful. I can't believe you remembered that."

Francis chuckles shyly. "I know we were drunk but you were obsessed over the thing for ages so..."

"I'd even forgotten," she whispers, fingering the pendant. "You're amazing. Olivia's lost a real one."

"That will help me sleep better," he replies, rubbing his hands together. "So, you better get going before your mother kills you."

"Yeah," Mary says, giving him a quick hug and a peck on his cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too," he says quietly before she lets go.

Just as she's about to go, she tells him, "I've booked the appointment for two days, before you leave. You'll need to have a, uh, semen sample done so make sure they're fit and ready for testing."

Francis snorts and hides a smile before saying, "Yeah. They'll be fighting fit, don't worry." He even walks her to the door. "Good luck."

"I'll see you later," she promises him.

It doesn't take her long to get to her mother's home and it's her stepfather who answers the door, saying something about golf in California over his shoulder. "Mary!"

"Hiya," Mary says to him, giving him a quick hug before following him into the kitchen where her mother is cooking lunch.

"Louis, you can't go golfing in California! It will be cold and you know it will affect your sciatica," Marie says. "Why don't you try Malaga?"

Louis sighs. "I'll see," he replies. "I'll leave you, ladies, alone."

That's why Mary likes him. He knows when to read the room and make himself scarce. He's been in her life for about ten years now, the wedding proposal coming as a shock for Mary and Jim back then. Now, he's a lovely fixture in their family.

"Mary, did you get what I got you in the post?"

"Yeah, it came this morning," Mary replies, taking a seat at the table. "Thank you."

"Well, it was my baby's thirtieth. I had to go all out," Marie replies coyly. "Did you enjoy it?"

Mary tuts. "Did I enjoy the box of Victoria's Secret lingerie sent to my door by a flustered postman?" She asks. "No."

"You need to put yourself out there, Mary. You're beautiful! You should probably put one on and a lovely dress over that before going out and showing everyone what you've got," Marie says casually, sorting out the salad.

"Is this a normal conversation for a woman to have with her daughter? Hell, is it normal to gift your daughter lingerie?"

Marie rolls her eyes and turns to face Mary. "You're not getting any younger, sweetheart. You're thirty now."

"Speaking about that, I'm trying for a baby," Mary quickly says.

Dropping the salad spoon onto the floor, Marie turns to her daughter with wide eyes. "You're _what_?!"

"I'm trying for a baby," Mary repeats quietly. "Like, I'm going to do an IUI."

"IUI?!" Marie cries out. "Can you even afford an IUI?"

Mary sighs. "I've done my research, Mother. I can afford a cycle."

" _A_ cycle," Marie says. "Which may or may not be successful. And who will be the sperm donor, pray to tell? Some random man will father my grandchild?"

Mary crosses her arms and sighs heavily. "A random man won't be the donor, Mother. I've done my research and I've taken the steps to get an IUI done."

"Mary, I don't know what to say..."

"Just... support me," Mary tells her. "I've always wanted kids and it's not my fault I couldn't find the one man willing to settle down and start a family with me. I get it, Harold's adorable and you love grandchildren since you can't have any more kids but let me do it in my own time, my own _terms_."

Marie nods and gives Mary a wry smile. "Well, if you need money to pay for anything, I'm here."

"Thank you," Mary says, standing up to hug her mother. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"Don't be so nervous. Just think about yourself doing it at home," Mary tells Francis as they wait in the waiting room of the clinic.

Francis rolls his eyes hard. "Yeah, being in a clinical place that smells like antibacterial shit will really make me feel at home," he says. "God, will they have needles?"

"Why would they need to put any needles in you?" Mary asks.

"I-I don't know!"

"Oh, you big baby," she laughs.

Mary is terrified. If all goes well, she could be a mother in nine months time and that brings a wide smile onto her face as she feels Francis take her hand in his. She turns to him and blushes when he twists her fashion rings around her fingers on her right hand before pecking the back of her hand.

"I want this to work, you know?" He says quietly. "I'm just scared I won't be able to perform well."

"You'll be fine," Mary assures him. "Just keep a relaxed mind and you'll be okay."

When her name is called, they get up and follow the doctor into the treatment room, taking seats before him. It's a lovely, contemporary room and it doesn't give Mary the overly hospitalised feeling but a sense of serenity and comfort. Almost less formal than a hospital room would be.

"I'm Dr Diaz and I'll be talking you through and hopefully be performing your IUI," the doctor says. "During our phone call, I told you that we'd need to go through some tests. Just the standard fertility tests..."

Mary drowns him out as her eyes dart around the room. She knows it's really happening, this clinic consultation but it still feels quite surreal to her. And her doctor... He's quite handsome and young-looking, perhaps not that much older than her even but he's a man and he _might_ be getting her pregnant in some sort of way. A giggle almost escapes her lips at the thought of a male doctor over a female doctor but she said she doesn't mind who it is. She's not one of those people who must be treated by specific people.

"...any questions?"

"Do IUIs hurt?" Mary asks shakily.

Dr Diaz smiles comfortingly. "It's mostly painless, some women do experience mild cramping for a short time but it's a ten-minute process where you'd be able to go home after a little rest following the procedure. It's less invasive than IVF if you're thinking about that."

"Okay," Mary says. "Thanks."

"Three or more cycles of IUI are recommended for success, it most likely won't happen on the first go as it's all about the woman's body reacting naturally to the process of conception," Dr Diaz informs them. "And you will have to go through a short course of hormone therapy as you have stated you have irregular periods so when you ovulate, the sperm will be introduced to increase chances of pregnancy. As you're on the hormone therapy, we will test the sperm sample given in today and in a couple of months in October, we will perform the first cycle if the sperm is healthy and see where that takes us."

 _October_ , Mary thinks. _The potential month I conceive. It's getting more real by the minute_. "Right," she says, giving Francis a small smile. "What if I don't get pregnant after three cycles?"

"We will check what hormone therapy to put you on or if you have any issues such as endometriosis which you said the women in your family have a history of but you haven't got it, things like that," Dr Diaz replies. "Anything we can fix to ensure the fourth and so on cycles work. Throughout the treatment, you will have regular scans and blood tests to observe the growth of your follicles and track your ovulation cycles."

"Okay. And each of the IUI cycles varies in costs?"

"Yes, depending on hormone therapy given, etcetera," Dr Diaz tells her. "Shall we get the tests done?"

Mary nods. "Yeah."

* * *

"So, I'll be back in two months," Francis says, standing by Mary's front door with his suitcase. "It's been a blast."

Mary nods, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, you don't how much you've made me happy. It's the best birthday gift anyone can give me."

"We've not even got you pregnant, yet," Francis laughs. "I'll miss you."

"Yeah, I'll miss you too," Mary breathes out, biting her bottom lip. _I should talk about the kiss_... "Uh, you know when we kissed on my birthday-"

"That was a mistake-"

"I felt-Wait, what?"

Francis's eyes dart away from hers as he blushes. "You're my best friend, Mary. We've known each other since we were five-years-old. I think we may have even shared one bath after a sticky ice cream situation... We've seen each other grow up, we've been there for the most important times in each other's lives. I... think we work better as friends. I can tell you anything without being scared of getting judged for it and you can ask me to father your child through IUI."

 _Fuck, okay..._ "Y-Yeah. You're right, it was a mistake but I felt like it was hanging in the air over us so..." She waves him off with a wry smile.

"What were you going to say?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing. Just that I felt awkward about ruining the good thing we have with that kiss."

"Right," Francis says softly, the sound of his phone beeping. "That will be my Uber. And by Uber, I mean Bash."

Mary chuckles wryly, giving him one last hug before pulling away. "Get home safely. Text me when you do," she orders him.

"I will. I'll even send you a lovely picture of my cat to confirm it," he replies lightly.

She smiles, playfully rolling her eyes. She got him the white cat for his twenty-fifth birthday and when he's home in France to keep him company, it's been a real support to him whenever they are apart. He's even named the cat 'Josie' after her middle name Josephine.

"I love you," Francis says, brushing her hair away from her face, behind her ear.

"Love you too," Mary replies, opening the door and seeing him out. She waves at Bash and he gives her a salute before helping Francis put his suitcase in the boot and soon they're off.

Closing the door behind her, Mary mentally curses Francis for rejecting any idea of them making that kiss something more. It's not like she wants a friends with benefits situation. She really likes him, she always has but whenever one is single, the other is taken. It's like a roundabout, neither wanting to ruin what could become something more for the other. At least on her part because she never knew if he and Olivia were off or on at times, leading her to seek boyfriends who are awful.

But she's already told herself, she's not going to let romance ruin her chances at making her a mum and Francis has helped her confirm that by deciding against taking that kiss any further.

The kiss _was_ a mistake after all.

* * *

"Two months, huh?" Kenna asks Mary as she breastfeeds her daughter. "It's happening in two months?"

Mary grins and nods, checking out all the details once again. It's all surreal. "I'm excited," she says, nudging Raven's cheek. "This little one will have another friend to play with!"

Kenna smiles warmly, looking down at her feeding daughter before turning to Mary. "So, you've found a certain donor?"

"I'm not telling you anything about him," Mary says. "And there's a chance the cycle could fail so I might go for a few options." She hates lying, she's a terrible liar. She'll never go for someone she doesn't know. Francis is the safest choice she has. "Who will be the lucky guy?"

"What if your kid wants to know their father? Surely, they could question why they only have one parent," Kenna asks her.

Mary rolls her eyes, leaning back in her seat. "Don't sound like my mother, Kenna. I will handle it when it happens."

"I know," Kenna says, tutting. "You've probably been thinking about this for years-"

"I have-"

"And you've finally taken the plunge and decided to just do it-"

"Yeah-"

"But do you have a good support system? You're going to have to think about schools and pick-ups and drop-offs and your job. You will only have one income to provide for this child-"

"The father will be involved!"

Kenna gasps as her daughter latches off and seemingly gasps too. "But I thought you said-"

"It's Francis. Well, it is going to be Francis," Mary confesses quietly. "And he's going to be a hands-on co-parent and we will raise the child together."

After nudging her daughter to latch on, Kenna blinks in surprise at Mary. "You mean Francis Valois? Our best friend and my brother-in-law, Francis?"

Mary nods shyly, biting her lip. "Yeah..."

"You mean Francis who lives miles away in France, Francis?"

"Yeah."

"You mean Francis-"

"Kenna, Francis fucking Valois, Francis. What other Francis do you know," Mary says before cursing once more when she sees Raven's eyes on her. "Sorry, sweetie. Ignore Aunt Mary's swearing, yeah?"

Kenna chuckles before she's full-on laughing. "It's fine, Bash and I have said worse when we're in bed and forget the baby monitor's on loud on her end. We're waiting for her first swear word," she says before pausing suddenly. "Wait, do you know what that means?"

"What?" Mary asks warily.

Kenna smirks. "Our kids will be cousins."

A smile grows on Mary's face and she chuckles. "They will be. You're not... mad?

"Huh? What have I got to be mad for?"

"Not telling you or the girls," Mary says with a heavy sigh. "I thought you guys would judge me for having a kid with a guy who doesn't even love me like that when I've given him my heart without realising."

Kenna tuts and reaches out to squeeze Mary's hand. "I'm happy for you guys. Your baby will be so cute and they'll have great parents in you and Francis. But you have to tell Francis that you love him."

Mary groans, covering her face. "He wouldn't like that. He's already rejected me before he left. We kind of kissed a little when I got home from my birthday dinner."

"What?!" Kenna squeals, jolting her pissed off daughter. "Sorry, darling." She hushes the crying baby. "You and Francis kissed?!"

Mary shakes her head. "He was leaning in to kiss my cheek but I turned my head and we... kissed."

"Oh," Kenna sighs. "But it's not like you haven't kissed before. You've guys have shagged many times back in uni."

"Twice, Kenna."

"Still twice as many as none," Kenna replies. "What's different about this one?"

Mary frowns deeply. "I felt tingles and sparks. And I wasn't majorly drunk because of you guys had to think about your babies... Maybe it was just me feeling horny because I've not had birthday sex in a long while but that kiss was different."

"Then you have to tell him."

Mary swallows hard and reaches out to take Raven to burp her as Kenna finishes up and does her bra and shirt up. "I can't. What if he freaks out and thinks I'm insane and pulls out from being the father of my child?"

"If you tell him, he could not be pulling out of _you_ and get the job done better than an IUI," Kenna replies.

Mary chokes on air, giving her best friend a glare. "Shut up!"

"It's not like he's not done that before. When did you become such a prude?!"

"I'm not, I just haven't... It's been a while, Kenna. And as I said, best friends won't have sex again because it ruins everything. I'd rather have him as a friend than him as a stranger," Mary tells her.

Kenna rolls her eyes and sighs. "Okay. I guess I should wish you luck then."

Mary smiles. "Yeah. Because even if I don't have a boyfriend or a husband, I'm still going to finally be a mother. And that is the only important thing to me right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Mary's gone and told someone that Francis will be the father of her future child and her mother is a bit of a wild one, trying to get her daughter to get out there with saucy lingerie. The talks I have with my own mother are hilarious and she keeps bringing up that I'm way too subdued than she was at my age where she had guys falling at her feet and my love life's pretty much as messed up as Mary's, haha. Oh, I've finally worked out how to reply to comments!


	4. Cycle One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary's just had the first cycle of her IUI done and now, she is one step closer to having a baby but will it be worthwhile?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed the last chapter's notes, FF is down so I'll be regularly updating the story on here with saving the chapters on FF and uploading them on FF when it is back up. Sorry to everyone who is missing it on FF but the admins are very unhelpful right now. As for this chapter, we've got a mild-miscarriage warning when Mary and her mother talk about her mother's experiences with trying for kids with Mary's late father, James.

"Just relax, Mary," Dr Diaz tells her as she shuffles uncomfortably on the treatment bed. "It will take ten minutes, then you're free to go after a rest."

Mary nods and finally finds a comfortable position. Francis is outside in the waiting room, waiting for her and she wishes she could have him in here with her. It's all quite weird and strange and she's trying so hard to just relax but she can't for some reason. Her mind's running at a hundred miles per hour, she's even considering nursery colours.

"I'm going to talk you through what I'm doing," Dr Diaz says, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Try not to move."

"Okay," she breathes out.

He clears his throat, starting the process. "I am inserting the speculum," he informs her, showing her the object before doing as he said.

Her breath hitches in her throat at the slight discomfort but it's not hurting so she relaxes. "That's an experience to remember," she jokes.

"Hmm," Dr Diaz hums. "Is that okay?"

"Bearable. Cold," she replies.

"Sorry about that."

She chuckles. "It's fine."

"Okay, I'm now passing the catheter through to your uterus," he says. "And I am injecting your uterus with the sperm."

"Wonderful," she says lightly, making them chuckle as she releases a deep breath. She almost gets teary-eyed, closing her eyes and praying that it's a step closer to being a mother. A baby to call her own, a baby for her arms to warm and cuddle.

Before she knows it, the process is all done and she's allowed to get dressed in her jeans and sweater as Dr Diaz leaves to let her have some rest and grab her next appointment details along with 'do's and don't's' and what to do if such things happened or symptoms appeared. It doesn't seem like anything will be amiss or she wouldn't be allowed to do certain things but she'll take their advice and restrict herself to light yoga as opposed to running and not drinking or eating raw food.

"We'll see you in fourteen days to take a pregnancy test," Dr Diaz says. "Refrain from doing one at home as results may be misleading and we will perform a blood test."

"Yeah, okay," Mary says. "Thank you so much."

Dr Diaz smiles, shakes her hand and sends her on her way.

She meets Francis in the waiting room and he stands upon seeing her come in, rubbing his hands on his thighs nervously.

"All good?" He asks.

Grinning, she says, "All good."

* * *

He goes back home that evening with the promise of returning in two weeks for the pregnancy test, leaving her alone in her home but she decides to go and stay with her mother for the two weeks so the woman can prevent her from doing pregnancy tests presumptively.

"Was it uncomfortable?" Her mother asks as they curl up on the sofa in front of a movie. "Was the doctor nice? Was he attractive and single, even?"

"Mother!" Mary snaps with a roll of her eyes. "No, it wasn't uncomfortable and the doctor was nice. _And_... he's married with three kids."

Marie tuts. "It's always the doctors that get snagged up quickly," she muses. "Well, I'm glad you're not hurting. I wouldn't want my baby to be groaning and moaning about aches and pains."

Mary smiles fondly, squeezing her mother's forearm. "I know you care about me in your own messed up way," she jokes.

Marie snorts loudly, laughing. "You're my baby, I'll always care about you. But you can't deny your love life is horrible. Would men even want a single mother?"

"Thanks!" Mary says sarcastically, turning her gaze to the movie. "You're insufferable."

"I'm not wrong. Some men feel threatened with the presence of a child in the relationship that isn't theirs. What will you even tell the child when they grow up about why their father is absent? That's why I don't like strangers getting women pregnant. My heart goes out to the children."

"Mum, they're not all bad situations," Mary tells her. "And you don't have to worry about that. I guess I should tell you now that's done."

Marie frowns. "Tell me what, choupette?"

Mary brings the cushion to her chest and hugs it tightly. "Francis Valois."

"Francis Valois?" Her mother questions. "What about him?"

"You know we're really close?"

Marie nods, chuckling. "So close, you insisted on going to university in America together after not seeing each other for three years!"

Mary smiles inwardly to herself. They ended up going to study in Paris of all places with Kenna. His parents surprised them with an apartment he still lives in, to this day. Kenna ended up living with them and sneaking Bash into her bedroom many nights. It is no surprise they're married with two kids now.

"Yeah, uh... He's the sperm donor, Mama," she whispers.

"What?" Marie asks, her voice a high pitch. "Francis Valois?"

Mary nods. "Yes."

"Francis... Valois. Whose mother and I hate each other?"

"Catherine's not that bad..."

"I haven't forgiven her for staining my wedding dress with red wine at the reception," Marie says in disdain. "God, her son's got my daughter pregnant?"

Mary rolls her eyes. "We didn't have sex-"

"Twice, Mary-"

"God, since then!" Mary cries out. "Why won't people forget about that? Anyway, I trust him, he is my best friend and I'm happy he's going to be the father of my child. He's the best choice and he is up for it. He too wants to be a dad and we're doing this together."

Marie sighs heavily and rubs her temples. "At least he's got money."

"Maman!" She rarely uses French but her mother is trying her right now. "Non."

"It's a joke," her mother chides her with a tut. "But I'm serious. I was doubting you could raise a child on a single income but now I'm genuinely assured that you will be okay with Francis helping you. I'm sure he has good qualities that will help you both raise this child."

"Awh, Mum, that's the sweetest thing you've said in an insult," Mary replies, actually touched.

Marie smiles widely. "My grandchild will be adorable! No offence to your hair but I want a golden grandchild."

Mary blushes and deep down, she wants that too. If she can't have Francis, she'll have his likeness. "Same," she whispers, she and her mother sharing a wide grin. "Blonde, blue-eyed or even brown-eyed... I just want them to be a perfect mix of us both. And I will love them with all of my heart."

"Children are wonderful, Mary," her mother says fondly. "I wish I could have more... Before you, I lost four sons via miscarriages."

"Shit, Mum. Really?" Mary asks softly. "I'm so sorry."

Marie glances down, sighing heavily. "It was hard, telling your father to support me with the decision of getting a surrogate to have your brother. I'm really hoping you'll get your baby, sweet girl. It might be difficult but never lose hope."

"I won't," Mary says. "H-How did you have me then?"

Marie smiles widely, cupping Mary's cheek. "You were our miracle. After I gave birth to you, the doctor said I couldn't have any more children. I had to have a hysterectomy but at least I had you and you've turned out to be a wonderful woman, Mary. I couldn't be more proud to be your mother."

"Oh, Mummy..." Mary coos, hugging her mother tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

* * *

"Mary, whatever the test says, I'm here for you," Francis tells her as they wait in the car park of the clinic. They've arrived thirty minutes early because she's too excited.

Mary turns to him, drawing her eyes away from the clinic. "Thank you. Is it weird that I feel lighter?" She places a hand on her tummy to test the waters. "I could be doing this. Feeling our baby in there. They could even be in there right now."

"We'll have to have the test to find out," Francis replies with a smile. He sighs, bowing his head. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" She asks, alarmed. "You're not sick, are you? We're already halfway into the process-"

"I'm back with Olivia."

Mary feels her heart shatter into pieces as she turns away from him. If he's back with _her_ , he can't do this for her. He can't father her child because he will have to choose between them and Olivia. The same Olivia he keeps running back to for what reason?

Is the sex really that good?

"I thought she had a toyboy," Mary says glumly.

Francis sighs. "She did until she found out she was pregnant... with my kid."

 _"You and Olivia will get married one day and have kids..."_ Mary remembers herself saying the week before her birthday when he came.

"She's ten weeks pregnant," he says quietly. "And she doesn't want the kid to grow up in a broken family like hers."

Mary blinks back tears, pulling her eyes to look outside the window on her side. "What does that mean for us and..." She rubs her tummy.

"I'll still be your donor if you want me to. I'm not backing out-"

"Our kids will be half-siblings-"

"Your kid will also be _my_ kid, Mary," he says. "Don't forget that."

Mary tuts, rolling her eyes where her tears slide down her cheeks. "I'm talking about Olivia and me. The same Olivia who hates my fucking guts."

"Mary, this doesn't change anything-"

"You will have _two_ kids with two different mothers, Francis. Where I will raise our child on my own, you and Olivia will play 'house'," Mary snaps. "And how will this work with you and your girlfriend and kid in France and me here in England with my baby? We haven't thought this through."

The excitement she's been feeling for the past two weeks has vanished and she just wants to grab her good news and sulk in her bed with ice cream. She doesn't want to think about the kid growing in Olivia. Damn, bottle-blonde Olivia.

"I'll be here regularly. I'll make sure this kid and I have contact. I'm not abandoning our child, Mary. I will love them equally as my other child," Francis replies as Mary opens the door.

"Let's just get the results and go," Mary says tightly, getting out and slamming the door behind her.

He's ruined her day.

And what makes it even worse is that they get a negative result with Dr Diaz's empathetic gaze.

"You can try again next month as we track your ovulation cycle," he says. "Don't be disheartened, IUIs are three times less likely to work than IVF as it requires the body's natural mechanisms to occur. If you have the IUI procedure performed each month, success rates may reach as high as 20% per cycle. You're young and healthy, your rates of success will increase every month. Do you wish to continue?"

"Yes," Mary says quietly, not meeting Francis's eyes. "I'd love to continue."

* * *

"I just need someone to talk to," Mary says, sliding a cup of decaf tea towards Greer.

Greer stirs her tea, adding one sugar into it. "You look so down. Mary, what's wrong? Is the IUI treatment going okay?"

Mary nods, running her fingers through her hair. "It is," she says. "But I don't know about the donor."

"Can't you pick and choose the best one each time?"

"Yeah, but I felt comfortable with the one I have now," Mary replies. "And he's open to being involved in the baby's life... But now, he's got a pregnant partner and I don't know where that leaves me. Our kids will be half-siblings."

Greer nods in understanding. "You'll look like the other woman, his other family."

"Exactly. And he doesn't see that," Mary says with a heavy sigh. "I just wanted this to be an easy, dramaless process but now he's having another baby and I've got my first failed cycle... I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Does he still want to be a part of this?"

Mary bites her lip, remembering Francis's insistence on raising their child together before her bad but not discouraging news. "Yeah. He still wants to donate his sperm and he... wants to be a part of our child's life."

Greer's eyes widen as she smiles softly. "That's so sweet. Why would a complete stranger want to be so involved? Mary, you'll share a kid with a stranger and get to know him along the way. If he wasn't married with a kid on the way, I'd tell you to date him!"

"He's not a stranger," Mary admits. "Nor is he married but he still has a pregnant girlfriend."

"I'm confused," Greer says.

 _One down, two to go_ , Mary thinks before confessing, "It's Francis."

"Shit," Greer curses. "Fr-Francis?! Who is with Olivia? Wait, Olivia's pregnant?!"

"Yeah," Mary says, crossing her arms as she leans back in her seat. "It's fucked up, right? A guy is trying to get his best friend pregnant as his girlfriend ends up pregnant?"

Greer runs her hands down her face, shaking her head a little. "You know how this looks right?"

"I'm not too happy about it either," Mary says. "I knew it was risky asking him to father my child but I trust him. I've known him since we were kids and when we decided to do this, he and Oliva were off again and seemingly for good..."

"Until she found out she was pregnant?"

"Yeah."

"Shit," Greer repeats softly. "Does he know you love him?"

Mary scoffs, shaking her head. "I can't either. He and Olivia were always meant to be. The universe wants them together otherwise, why would she have got pregnant with his kid?"

"Relationships brought together because of unexpected pregnancies don't last at times," Greer states. "Especially if they had a relationship prior to the baby bomb that was toxic and unhealthy for both parties involved. Trust me, he and Olivia may be in their baby bubble right now but it's not lasting."

"What should I do, Greer?"

"Focus on you and your future child," Greer tells her. "Don't worry about Francis. As long as you are happy being a mum, that's all that counts. You will have a baby no matter who the father is and you will love them enough to provide them with a stable, loving home. You always have support in us girls as well."

Mary smiles wryly. "And my mother."

"And your nutcase of a mother," Greer adds with a chuckle as she lifts her mug up to take a sip. "What did you do with the lingerie she bought you, by the way?"

Mary coyly takes a long sip from her tea before replying, "I kept them, of course. Have you seen the prices on those things? A little sexy underwear never hurt anyone."

Greer cackles, slapping Mary's shoulder. "Good girl. You will get a good use out of them one day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mary's had her first negative pregnancy results. But it won't stop her from trying again even after Francis's baby news with Olivia hanging in the air.


	5. The Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary has four weeks between her failed cycle and the next hopeful one, so she ends up at the supermarket and later facing a downcast Francis, confronting him about their relationship status.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am. I know Francis is a bit of an idiot right now but he does it in goodwill. This is a slow-burn so you're in for a ride with ups and downs for Mary and Francis but we're getting closer to their relationship turning a new chapter.

Mary considers it. She really considers it. Grabbing that bottle of red wine and downing it in the middle of Tesco's. But she leaves the alcohol aisle and ends up in the snacks aisle instead, grabbing chocolates, biscuits, crisps and sweets to sate her sadness over not getting pregnant and Francis's blossoming life with Olivia and their unborn baby.

As she reaches for the Oreos double packet, her trolley bumps into another and she turns to see Kenna grinning cheekily at her before greeting her with a tight hug. Too stunned to talk, Mary hugs her back and laughs wryly.

"Hi! I figured it was you," Kenna says, pulling back and eyeing Mary up and down. "Your outfit's questionable."

Mary raises a brow and takes a look at herself. She's wearing some joggers, Adidas Superstars, a university t-shirt and Francis's grey sweater unzipped over it compared to the tight-fitting knitted dress Kenna's wearing that shows off her bust in a modest way, unlike Olivia, with grey knee-high boots. She wasn't expecting to bump into a familiar face. She just wanted comfort food and smoked salmon with bagels. And milk, she mustn't forget the milk.

"Okay, supermodel," she finally replies, grabbing the Oreos. "It's a quick stop."

"I'm guessing the IUI failed?" Kenna asks softly.

Mary nods but smiles a little. "I'm trying again next month," she tells her. "I'm not losing faith. It could take three or more cycles until it's successful."

Kenna hugs her once more. "That's good," she says, pulling away. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm good," Mary says, her eyes drawing to the sound of a kid begging for something. "Robin's a big boy now."

Kenna scoffs softly with a roll of her eyes before turning around and waving her six-year-old son over. "Robert, come and say 'hi' to Aunt Mary and stop annoying Daddy and let him change your sister's nappy, okay?"

"Thanks, babe!" Bash replies before turning the buggy around and heading out of the aisle.

Mary snorts and a smile grows on her face when her godson appears in front of her. "Hey, kiddo. Want some Oreos?"

Robin gasps and looks up at his mother. "Please, Mummy!"

"I hate you," Kenna mouths to Mary lightly before nodding. "Sure. One packet."

Mary grabs a single double cream packet from the shelf and chucks it into her trolley. "Are you guys almost done?"

"Yeah, just some more Coco Pops for Robin and then we're done," Kenna says. "Shall we walk about with you if you're not?"

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Kenna says, grabbing Robin's hand and pushing their trolley with one hand as Mary leads.

In the final aisle, when Bash hasn't returned from changing Raven's nappy, Mary lets Kenna in on her situation with Francis and now with Olivia being pregnant with his kid.

"I'll kill him!"

"They conceived the baby before they broke up. Like the week they broke up. He gave me more details via text and took Olivia's word when she insisted that it was impossible to be her toyboy's because she only got with him to make Francis jealous and never had sex with him," Mary explains.

Kenna covers her son's ears. "So, he's probably going to make you look like a baby mama on the side?"

"He's a sperm donor, Kenna. We won't have _sex_ to make this kid."

"But still!" Kenna cries out. "You guys love each other, for fuck's sake."

Mary stills. "Wait, what?"

Blushing, Kenna's eyes widen and her mouth clamps shut just as Bash returns with Raven. She quickly busies herself with making sure he's done their daughter's nappy properly as Robin attempts to get Bash to put some milkshake into their trolley.

"We should go now," Kenna says, eyeing Bash pointedly.

Bash sighs. "What did you say now?"

"Nothing!"

"Does Francis love me?" Mary asks Bash, knowing he'll give her something.

Bash glares at his wife before nodding and turning to Mary. "He's been in love with you since we were kids."

"But he's having a baby with Olivia," Mary says angrily.

"I know how that looks," Bash starts warily. "It really was over with Olivia for good and we'd been talking about him moving here and being closer to everyone, you especially, but then the baby happened. I'm sorry, Mary..."

Everyone knows how crazy she is about Francis and now, he's crazy about her but he can't be with her, because his on-off girlfriend's pregnant. It's an awful situation but what can she do about it?

"It's not your fault," she mumbles, eyeing the milkshakes. She dumps two bottles of chocolate milkshake into her trolley. "Choose one, kid."

Robin gasps and stuffs the strawberry-flavoured one into the trolley. "Thank you, Aunt Mary!"

"Let's go and pay," she says warily, already pushing her trolley down the aisle.

* * *

"Your uncle is sick," Marie tells her daughter as soon as Mary opens her front door. "Pack a bag, we're going to France."

That's how Mary finds herself at her uncle's large manor in a secluded part of Versailles, getting ready for brunch. They'd left England early in the morning and it's just gone noon. She curls up on one of the armchairs, watching the leaves fall from trees outside in the garden.

She's not too far from Francis. She could make a stop and see how he's doing despite the elephant in the room between them. Whenever he's in England, he comes and visits her so it would be rude to just come and not stop by at all. Her mother's raised her with class and respect.

After a one-hour nap, Mary finally gets dressed for the day and grabs a set of spare keys before wrapping a wool scarf around her neck and leaving. She eyes her uncle's Ford Mustang in the driveway and she looks back at the front door before deciding to take it for a spin, heading back in to get the car keys and leave.

Arriving at the apartment complex, the doorman recognises her and steps away from his post as she pulls up to the curb and winds the window down to speak to him.

He's a lovely elderly man with a white pointed moustache and a wrinkled smile and she beams, genuinely glad to see him again after all of these years. He whistles, admiring her ride before she explains that it's her uncle's, not hers.

"Thought you'd be raking in the millions by now, Kid," he says.

Mary blushes. "I'm getting there! Working from home is wonderful, I can even do it in my pyjamas and no one will ever know!"

"Then I'm glad you're content," he replies. "Want me to open up the garage for you?"

"Yes, please."

She'll get a ticket if she stays on the curb and the garage is only for private residents, so she's happy that she spent mornings and evenings treating the man with sweet treats, no matter the weather when she lived here during her university years.

Parked in the garage, Mary heads up through the lift and nervously waits as it starts to move. She thinks about whether Olivia will be there. She really doesn't want to see the blonde but over the years she's been cordial to her, even when she and Francis were in their off periods.

Before she knows it, the lift dings and she steps off, feeling déjà vu with hints of nostalgia. The times she stumbled through these halls drunk with her friends or caught Bash and Kenna making out on one of the walls or when she surprised Francis with his cat that attempted to get into one of the neighbours' homes instead after originally being shy of her new owner.

She misses this place.

Mary heads to the door she's been through so many times in her life and presses the doorbell. Soon, it opens and Francis is there, his eyes wide with surprise at her presence.

"Hey."

* * *

"My uncle's sick so Mother insisted on us coming," Mary explains as she accepts a hot mug of tea from Francis.

Francis takes a seat on the armchair across from the sofa with his own tea and nods, his hand on Josie's back as she curls up on his lap. "I've been meaning to contact you today, actually. See how you've been. T-The hormone therapy stopped, right?"

Mary nods. "Yeah. My levels are good so... How's Olivia?"

"She's staying with her mother," Francis replies. "It's part of our therapy process."

"Therapy?"

"Yeah. We need to be in a stable relationship before the baby comes," Francis explains quietly. His eyes cast down to Josie and he sighs heavily, prompting Mary to challenge him.

"Why do you think this is the right thing to do?"

Francis meets her eyes. "What?"

"Francis, couples who stay together for the sake of a child rarely make it, especially if their relationship was toxic, to begin with," Mary tells him. "I don't think you've ever loved Olivia. Not like you love-"

"Don't," he cuts her off. 

Mary scoffs. "What are you scared of, Francis? We're adults, we can be honest with each other. That's what our relationship has been about. Honesty."

"It's not as simple as that-"

"Then simplify it," Mary snaps. "That kiss didn't mean 'nothing' to me."

Francis runs a hand down his face and shifts his gaze away from her. "What do you want me to do? Cheat on her with you?" He asks, stinging her as if he'd just slapped her. 

"I want you to be happy, Francis," Mary says, her brows furrowing in concern. "If it means ending years-long of toxicity and breaking the chains that Olivia has around you, then I want you to leave her. For your sake."

"Mary, I-"

"Our relationship has never been normal, Francis. What best friends have sex and act couply? What best friends flirt with each other in texts and face to face? I _know_ you love me," she cuts him off.

Francis shrugs helplessly. "I can't make everyone happy, Mary. Don't I owe it to my child to try and give them something their mother never had?"

"Is it even yours?"

"You can't ask me that."

"We both know the type of woman Olivia is," Mary says softly. "I don't trust her as far as I can throw her. I love you and if she hurts you..." _I'll kill her_. "Just don't make things official with her, to guard yourself otherwise she'd have you locked for life, perhaps paying for a kid that isn't yours."

Francis places his mug on the coffee table and stands. "Yeah, you're right."

Mary looks up at him. "I know I am," she replies.

"I'll get her to do a paternity test-"

"I know it can be risky to do it whilst she's pregnant but you got to be sure, Francis," Mary tells him. "Don't wait until it's here."

Francis bites his lip and nods. "Want me to let you in on the results?"

"I wouldn't mind..."

"Okay. See you in four weeks then," he says as she stands. "I've got to get some work done. I was on my way out when you arrived."

Mary collects her bag and pecks his cheek. "I don't like it when we're arguing, Francis."

"We're not," he insists, squeezing her hand. "Give me time and I'll see you in four weeks."

"Okay," Mary whispers and lets go of his hand before letting herself out.

At least he's listening to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Francis is listening to Mary's words but will he do something about it or burry his head in the sand?


	6. Seasonal Flu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary finds out the results from Francis's paternity test and ends up telling Lola and her brother about Francis's role in her babymaking plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I hate spoiling things so at times I'll keep silent, haha. Enjoy the next chapter, I'm sure you'll love the result.

"This won't hinder my chances at getting pregnant, Francis," Mary says as Francis worries over the phone at how bad she sounds. She caught the flu from her uncle when she and her mother went to look after the man two weeks ago and it's the bane of her life, restricting her from leaving her bed and working. "Stop worrying."

"You sound like shit. I'm calling Kenna to stop by with some soup. Can you keep anything down?"

"I can't eat squat, Francis," Mary says. "It comes back up again. And I think I've got a fucking fever. It's awful."

"I know, babe," Francis says quietly. "Are you well enough to take some news in?"

Mary groans before turning onto her side with her phone lodged between her ear and pillow. "Go ahead."

He takes a deep breath in before saying, "You were right."

"I told you so," is her quick reply before she pauses. "Wait, about what?"

Francis tuts then he sighs heavily and curses under his breath. "Shit, Josie spilt my hot chocolate all over my lap. I've told her not to jump on the bloody dining table but she keeps doing that and I can't train it out of her-"

"Francis, I am right about what?"

"The baby isn't mine," Francis croaks sadly.

Mary feels guilty and she sighs heavily. "I'm sorry. I know how much you want kids and well, Olivia was going to get you there before I could... I'm so sorry."

"I think I knew it deep down but I'm the only guy willing to put up with her shit, you know?" He replies, sniffling. "I feel like an idiot! And my mother's been on my case about that. Even Dad was disappointed. It's not my fault that Olivia's a snake and a horrible bitch and I wish she'd just die and leave me alone..."

Mary sits up as best as she can and drags her phone to her ear. "You don't mean that..."

"No," he sobs. "I don't. I don't wish her death nor her baby. And now I'm mourning two kids. The one that didn't work with you and the one I could have had with her. The universe hates me."

Mary sighs and licks her chapped lips. She ought to find her vaseline lip therapy. "You're the best guy I've ever known. You've been there through so much with me, I'm surprised you're still there."

He laughs wryly. "I'll never stop being there for you."

"Why don't you move to England?"

"Bash told you?" He asks knowingly. "I don't know why we bother keeping secrets from each other, we'll always find out naturally."

Mary chuckles before feeling icky and reaching out to grab a Kleenex to blow out her nose with. "Okay, I'm back."

"Yeah, you tooted all over in my ear, I can feel your snot from France," Francis jests, making her smile at how quickly she can get him from feeling sad to making jokes.

"Fuck off," she replies lightly. "It is disgusting though and since it hurts to leave the bed, I'll give Kenna a call. Anyway, Bash did tell me and now that you have nothing holding you back in France, why not rent out a place here or better yet... move in? With me, I mean. I don't think Bash will appreciate another eavesdropper on his and Kenna's sex life."

Francis swallows hard. "Can I think about it?"

"You've got two weeks until the next cycle," Mary replies. "Think about it."

"I will," he promises. "I love you."

Mary tests the waters. "Do you mean that friendly or romantically?"

"What do you think, Mary?"

Mary feels her head shoot with pain and now, a dull ache is pressing against her temples. "I've got to go. My head's splitting... Let's take this slowly, yeah?"

"Okay," Francis whispers. "Talk later?"

"Definitely," she replies before hanging up and crying out in pain. Her painkillers are in her bag but she can't be arsed to grab them so she texts Kenna and heads to bed.

* * *

Mary sighs in pleasure, a long moan leaving her mouth. "That feels so good."

Kenna playfully rolls her eyes as she continues to massage Mary's head. "You're lucky I got the flu last week from Robin so I'm immune now. Bash and Raven locked us in his bedroom until we weren't contagious anymore."

"How does a baby lock people in a room?"

"Oh, she gives her daddy this little glare and he does her bidding," Kenna replies. "Trust me, you'll love having a daughter. I hope you have a daughter, mine is a complete mini-me. Ruining guys' lives since birth."

Mary chortles before opening her eyes. "I think Francis and I could be a thing..."

Kenna stops massaging Mary's head and looks down at her, blocking the view of the ceiling. "Tell me you're not joking."

"I have no reason to joke about this," Mary replies.

"Oh my God!"

" _Could_ being the keyword, Kenna," Mary says softly. "He's ended things with Olivia for good after she tried to pass her kid off as his and now, he could move in with me and could be my kind of-boyfriend as well as my-"

"Baby daddy."

"I hate that term," Mary laughs.

Kenna snorts and grins. "But isn't that the term for one who is not in a relationship with the baby mama?"

"Stop," Mary says, laughing softly. "He will be the _father_ of my child."

"Ever so formal," Kenna chides, pecking Mary's head and getting up to retrieve the flu medicine. "I call Sebastian a 'dilf' all the time in public."

"Because you guys are so horny, you don't care about PDA," Mary says. "Not all of us are willing to put our sex lives out there."

"It's impossible to do it at home so why not?" Kenna replies teasingly. "No, we don't have sex in public, we're not that crazy. Anyway, back to you and Francis... How will you refer to him when your baby's here or not?"

Mary sits up and glares at her once she realises what Kenna is trying to imply. "I am not calling him 'daddy' in a sexual tone, Kenna!"

"You said it, I didn't," Kenna cackles. "How are you feeling now?"

Mary sighs. "Better. I hope I can get rid of it before the next cycle. I don't think a shitty immune system is a good thing."

"You'll be fine," Kenna tells her before disappearing for a bit and returning. "And you can afford how many cycles?"

Mary shrugs. "I can maybe get two or three more goes with what I have now from my savings," she replies. "And when my paycheck comes at the end of the month and I've taken the bills, mortgage and whatever else from it, I can get another round. But my doctor said my chances increase by 20% each time so I might not even need two or three more goes."

Kenna smiles warmly. "Yeah, because you're fit and healthy-"

"I currently feel like death right now-"

" _Healthy_ on a good day," Kenna drawls with a roll of her eyes. "It will work."

Mary bites her lip nervously as Kenna takes a seat again. "My mother said she struggled to have kids. She lost four pregnancies and Jim was through a surrogate. I was the miracle baby and she was almost a geriatric mother by the time she had me... What if it doesn't work for me, Kenna? What if I'm waiting for another ten years to have a kid like she did?"

Kenna sighs heavily and places the medicine on the coffee table before taking Mary's hands in hers. "You wouldn't have been approved for the process if you had fertility struggles."

"Before now, I've never tried to have a baby though. I've never got pregnant since I'd been on the pill in my relationships and only stopped when I broke up with that prick. What if we don't actually know of any issues until now?"

"Mary-"

"I just..." And she gets tearful so she closes her eyes and wills her tears to go. She can cry in front of her friends but she doesn't want to feel more awful than she does already. "It's terrifying. I have hope, don't get me wrong but there's that nagging part of my brain that is making fun of that hope. I've not exactly been blessed with a relationship stable enough to have kids..."

Kenna scoffs loudly. "Do you think all of those single parents needed other people helping them to raise their wonderful kids? It doesn't matter what your household looks like, as long as the child is happy. I'd rather you be single and a mother than have a kid with a domestic abuser or a cheating prick."

Mary rests her chin on the top edge of the sofa. "I guess..."

"You're going to be okay. Everything will work out and you will hold your baby in your arms in due time," Kenna tells her. "Now, have your medicine and rest."

* * *

"Kenna said you were sick. You look so much better now!" Lola says to Mary as they take a stroll in the park, Lola's daughter, Bella, in the buggy.

Mary smiles. "Yeah. I felt like death..."

"You don't look like it," Lola says. "Sorry that I've not been around. I decided to go back to work."

Mary raises her brows and pointedly glances down at Lola's baby. "Seriously? Isn't she almost seven months?"

Lola tuts. "I know but Stephane's been made redundant at work," she explains. "So, we decided he'll stay home with Bella. It's great that my parents didn't pressure me enough into becoming a housewife because what if we were only surviving on one income?"

Mary blinks in surprise as they continue to walk. _Yeah, that's... true._ Her job isn't the most stable job out there, she is a data analyst for some tech company. She could transfer to a medical company as they pay better and well, she most likely won't be made jobless for another ten years as medicine relies on humans as opposed to computers but even if the pay rise is there, she will be raising this child on a single income which is not reliable.

 _But Francis will support us_ , she thinks and she immediately relaxes and smiles to herself at the idea of not only Francis supporting them but being a part of their family. Her, their baby and him... She really wants that.

She really wants him to move to England, move in with her.

"Yeah, that was a smart choice. We can't predict the future," Mary replies.

"So, how's the process going?" Lola asks her.

Mary tilts her head either way. "So-so," she says. "The first cycle failed but I'm not worried."

"Will the sperm donor be the same then? Those things are frozen for months, apparently. I read up on a lot after you told us," Lola tells her.

"Don't be mad that I'm telling you this last but technically you aren't the last person to know..."

"Yeah...?"

Mary stops them and turns to Lola. "Francis is the donor."

A smile grows on Lola's face as she starts laughing and squealing and Mary stares at her in shock and confusion. It even gets weirder when Lola brings her in for a bone-crashing hug.

"I knew you guys were secretly together! No one in their right mind will stay with a bitch like Olivia and you've been single for way too long-"

"We're not together-"

"But why are you doing an IUI? Can't you just have sex and be done-wait, you're _not_ together?" Lola asks, confused. "But you guys... The flirty texts, the sleeping in the same bed, the embraces and kisses..."

Mary sighs. "We're just closer than most girl-guy best friends," she replies.

Lola tuts. "Well, at least you're going to have a cute baby."

Mary chuckles wryly. "Yeah."

"When is the next cycle?" Lola asks as they continue to walk on.

"Next week."

"I hope it's successful. You're going to be a great mum, Mary," Lola replies. "And I'm sure Francis will be a great dad to them too. I wish you all the best."

Mary smiles fondly, blushing. "Thank you."

With her best friends now knowing who the father of her baby will be, Mary remembers that she still has to let his family in on it as well as her over-protective older brother, James. James who threatens to fight any guys that even looks her way following her awful long-term relationships but she hopes he won't mind Francis. They've known Francis since they were kids so that should score some points with her brother.

But first, she needs to tell him.

* * *

"Mum said you were sick," Jim says, feeling her forehead the second she steps into his home. "How are you now?"

Swatting his hand away, Mary gives him a wry smile. "Miles better. I have something to tell you."

Jim narrows his eyes slightly but gestures for her to follow him into the playroom where his baby son is on the playmat on the floor. He takes a seat beside Harold and Mary joins them, pulling faces at the baby before deciding to quickly go and wash her hands before carrying him.

They're taking precautions so he doesn't get sick as babies are susceptible to getting sick easily and Mary's got to start picking those habits up in time for her baby to arrive. Whenever that is.

"Now, talk," Jim says once Harold is cooing in her arms.

Mary meets her brother's eyes and bites her bottom lip, looks down at Harold and then back at Jim. "I'm trying for a baby, James."

Jim opens and closes his mouth like a fish for a few times before letting out a soft breath of air. "God, wow! Just springing it on me like that? When did you even get into another relationship?"

"I'm single."

"How does that work-"

"IUI," Mary replies. "I've got a sperm donor."

Jim sighs and nods. "Okay. So you'll be a single parent?"

"Yeah."

He then smiles and brushes his son's hair back. "I'm happy for you. I mean, if a guy won't give you a kid, then you'll get one yourself."

She chuckles softly and nods. "Yeah. Uh, that's not the only thing. I had a cycle last month and it failed so I'm obviously having another cycle. That's next week and Francis is the donor so he'll father my baby and-"

"No, you can't just drop that bit about Francis Valois so casually and glaze over it!" Jim cries out. "Mary, isn't Francis your best friend? Haven't you eaten dirt together when we were kids?"

Mary snorts. "In our defence, dirt is healthy," she jokes. "And yes, he is my best friend. What's wrong with that?"

"Lines will be blurred and crossed. How can he just stand by and not be involved in this kid's life? Isn't that how donating sperm works? They're not the father, just some distant uncle who is actually a family friend and-"

"James, Francis and I will raise the baby _together_. As a mother and a father."

Jim raises his brows. "Oh."

"He wants kids too," she explains. "So, we decided to have a kid together."

Jim then narrows his eyes again, taking his son from her arms when the baby starts to wail. "Mary... didn't you say you were in love with him once?"

Mary sighs and remembers the time she and her brother got drunk at their mother's second wedding ten years ago. They had headed up to the roof with a bottle of wine, bitching about how much of a bridezilla Marie was and how kind their new stepfather was despite having reservations about the new man in their mother's life ten years after their father's death when they were 10 and 17 years old. On that roof was when Mary let slip that she's always been in love with Francis Valois and how she wanted to stick the cocktail sticks from the sausages in Olivia's eyes who had come to the wedding as Francis's date.

"I'm in love with him still," Mary admits.

"But isn't he with the blonde whose... front page is everywhere for people to see?" Jim asks, blushing slightly as he shivers.

Mary lets out a burst of giggles. "Such a prude!"

"Says you!"

She sobers up with a sigh. "No, they're over, for good."

"Then what are you waiting for? If you're already trying for a baby, why not start a relationship with him?"

Mary shakes her head. "We've got a while to go until that happens," she replies. "But I think we're getting somewhere."

"Right."

"I don't want to scare him off."

Jim squeezes her forearm and gives her a comforting smile before saying, "Sometimes, you've got to jump in the deep end, little sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Francis and Mary are more or less taking the next step as Mary tells Lola and James the truth about Francis being her sperm donor with heavy support for Mary and Francis. But will they get together soon or not?


	7. Cycle Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary is surprised unexpectedly by Francis bringing two guests to her home and she has her second cycle of IUI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really Frary bonding time but we do get Mary bonding with someone else who will be a bane of Francis's existence, haha.

Mary hurries down the stairs and stops in front of the front door, fixing her hair up and smoothing out her knitted jumper down and opening the door. She smiles when her eyes land on Francis and before she can even say anything, a mop of red, curly hair pushes past him and her into the house.

"Wow, your place is gorgeous!"

"Claude," Mary says, turning back to Francis. "Hey."

"Hey," Francis breathes out, stepping inside with their suitcases. She notes that he's got two along with a...

"Josie!" Mary cries out, taking the cat out of the cage before eyeing Francis hopefully. He's never brought his cat to England, so if he's brought her, that means he's here for good.

Francis tuts. "So, she gets a hug and I don't?" He asks lightly before scratching the cat's fur. "Had to give her something for the flight over. She hates flying."

"Don't we all," Mary mumbles into Josie's clean fur as she leads the other two people into her living room. "Not that I'm not happy about it but Claude, why are you here?"

Claude turns away from Mary's impressive fireplace towards the raven-haired woman with a coy smile. "When Francis told everyone he was moving to England, I decided to do the same. For two weeks, I'm going to be looking at job opportunities and places to rent. And don't worry, I know you guys need some privacy to have sex or do whatever you want so I'll be staying over at Bash and Kenna's place."

"We're not having sex, Claude," Francis says, glaring at his sister before turning to Mary. "On the flight over, I told her about..." He gestures to her stomach. "And she took that to say that we were together."

"He said you guys were trying for a baby and I almost chucked my wine at him because he never told me you guys were together in the first place! I have been rooting for you since you decided to go to Prom together!" Claude cries out.

"But you didn't even let me finish before you were trying to claw my eyes out and the flight attendant had to tell you to put your seatbelt on because we were landing," Francis replies. "If you had been sane enough to listen on, you'd find out that we're doing this through IUI. We're not together, we are just going to have a baby together."

Claude rolls her eyes. "You know better than to tell me certain news when I'm drinking," she tells him. "But I'm happy for you both, I guess."

Mary laughs at their antics and takes a seat. "Thank you. Have you told everyone else?"

"I was hoping Kenna would break the news to Bash and well, that would start a chain reaction because he'd tell Leeza and Leeza would tell Margot and it's a whole process," Francis replies. "But knowing Claude, she's probably texted our mother by now and I'm nice and safe in England, away from her urge to strangle me for not telling her and Dad sooner."

Claude meekly bows her head. "I told Dad first. He's been blowing up my phone since we landed," she confesses. "Aren't you glad your phone's always on silent anyway?"

Mary snorts and places the cat down to explore. "I told my family already. They're happy for us. I'm sure yours would be if you're honest about your intentions."

Francis nods. "Hmm," he hums. "But I should probably get some rest after I drop Claude off-"

"I can do that," Mary quickly says, getting up. "Why don't you find something to eat and drink? I'll take Claude."

"Are you sure?"

"Francis, sometimes you need to take a hint," Claude tells him as she goes to grab her suitcase. "She wants a 'girl chat', stupid."

Francis's eyes go back to Mary and she smiles meekly back before he scoffs lightly. "Yeah, sure. I'll see you later?"

"Yep," Mary says, going to grab her coat and shoes. "Let's go, Claude."

* * *

"What did you and my sister talk about yesterday?"

Mary doesn't dare take her eyes off the road as she says, "Not much." 

She smiles to herself, thinking about Christmas plans and the sort. She will surprise him with tickets to France to spend Christmas with his family as her brother will go to his wife's parents' and her mother and stepfather are travelling to Hawaii since it's near to their wedding anniversary so that leaves her making secret plans to be with Francis. 

She needs to plan this at a time between her next cycle if this one fails and between the fortnight break for the pregnancy blood test so they will mostly spend a week there straight after her cycle and have the remaining week of holidays at home. 

His family knows her as his best friend, but if their relationship status changes between now and then, what would they know her as? They already adore her, the evidence in her being invited to almost every event they throw or are at so it's not a matter of making herself look favourable to them, it's a matter of how to make sure she stays in favour with them, now she will be a potential mother to a golden Valois child.

And she knows how much his parents adore children, already having six grandchildren between three children already. She's going to make that seven.

"Huh," Francis replies with a smirk. "So coy. What are you plotting?" He pulls a strand of her hair and twirls it around his finger as she stops at a red light. "Come on, spill."

"Make me," she replies, meeting his eyes.

His blue eyes sparkle with mirth and he smirks, about to lean in but the lights turn orange in the corner of Mary's eye and she turns her head, pressing on the pedal. 

"Shame," she says with a tut. "Just going to have to wait and see."

He snorts softly, taking in their surroundings. He's going to have to remember every turn and every stop because he won't let her drive back home. She needs all the rest she can if she's going to be carrying his child and it starts today. He's now there to look after her properly.

"I'm the most impatient person you know," he tells her.

Mary laughs. "Don't I know it?" She asks.

When they get there, she parks and they head out in time for her name to be called by Dr Diaz. She checks the time and tuts when she realises that the traffic made them cut it fine for her appointment but it's okay as Dr Diaz warmly welcomes her into the treatment room to get dressed in a gown as Francis heads the other direction behind a nurse to produce a sample.

She waits a good while, perhaps even thirty or forty minutes and she wonders why. Last time wasn't this long but she's almost dozing off by the time Dr Diaz returns with the sample.

"Sorry for the wait," he tells her.

Mary nods and smiles wryly. "Did the prep take a while?"

Dr Diaz pulls a face but it's quickly gone and Mary realises that Francis must have been the delay as the doctor shifts the conversation along. "Right, do you remember what I did the first time?"

"Yeah," Mary breathes out. "Cold speculum, catheter and then sperm."

He chuckles and sits down, sorting everything out. "We've warmed the speculum for you this time, don't worry."

"Thanks," Mary says before relaxing and looking up at the ceiling, her lip caught between her teeth.

Dr Diaz clears his throat, saying, "I'll talk you through what I'm doing again if you wish? Patients find it soothing to be told what is happening to them as it's done."

Mary laughs a little. "Yes, please. The silence's weird." But having a guy insert sperm into your vagina as he talks you through it is even weirder. But she'd rather that than silence. 

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

Dr Diaz nods and starts. "I am inserting the speculum now. Is it warm?"

Mary nods. "Yeah." Then she sighs heavily. "C-Can we talk about anything? I guess the medical stuff is a bit..." She pulls a face.

Chuckling, the doctor nods and continues as he asks, "Doing anything for Christmas next month?"

Mary blushes although she doesn't quite know why. The guy is a stranger, he doesn't know her relationship with Francis. "Yeah, going to France. I-I can travel, right?"

"You can travel within the early months of pregnancy but if you're going through a third cycle, I'd recommend after that cycle during the fourteen-day wait for the blood test to confirm pregnancy," Dr Diaz explains.

Mary thought as much as she replies, "Thanks. Yeah, I'm planning to go straight after, like a couple of days after and then come home after a week. What about you? Christmas plans?"

Dr Diaz snorts a little. "The wife is thinking about Spain, I'm thinking about Portugal."

"Spain is nice," Mary says. "Francis's sister lives there with her family and I've gone a few times." _When I was invited to Leeza's wedding and the christenings of Leeza's daughters, Bella and Kitty_ , she thinks. Other than those times, she hasn't gone to Spain. 

"Then, as usual, women are right," Dr Diaz jokes.

Mary tries to stifle her giggles. "Try Portugal. That's great too. Been there with my mother and stepfather a good amount of times too."

"Ah, and indecisive!"

Mary lets out a chuckle, trying not to move much. "On the real, go to Portugal for Christmas. The weather is nice in December. With Spain, you'll get rainfall."

"That is true," Dr Diaz says. "I'm Spanish, I'd know. But my wife wants to see my family, what can I do?"

"Yeah, Christmas is for family bonding..." Mary muses.

They fall into a comfortable silence and before she knows it, it's all done and she gets rested before being sent on her way, meeting a flushed Francis in the waiting room after collecting her next appointment details.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," he breathes out. "Let's get out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to leave you guys in suspense as to whether the cycle worked or not. Next chapter, we will come back to the results.


	8. Time Of The Month

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Francis and Mary bring up that moment he told her he loved her, leaving her to make of it as she will and get brutally honest about their relationship shifting. Then, Mary gets disappointed but is assured by Francis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted for FF to catch up since it seems like it's finally back up. Now, both sites have the same updates.

"When I told you that I loved you..."

Mary places the dish of spaghetti down in the middle of the table, looking up at the blonde. "You've told me that many times," she says, turning to grab the bowl of tomato sauce as he places their plates and cutlery down.

"No, when you were sick," Francis corrects himself. 

Mary purses her lips, furrowing her brows. She can't remember much, she was in a lot of pain, her body was overcome with the flu, she felt awful. Francis even had to remind her that he wasn't the father of Olivia's unborn baby.

She turns to him. "Sorry, I don't quite remember. Kenna hooked me up on the good stuff. Night Nurse and Lemsip," she replies, taking a seat.

Francis smiles wryly and takes a seat across from her, reaching to get the serving spoon for the spaghetti but she gets there first, their hands touching. "You first," he says.

She blushes and nods, serving spaghetti onto her plate. "Thanks," she replies. "Anyway, you were saying?"

He takes the spoon from her hand and serves himself. "I told you that I loved you. And you asked me in what way and I told you to think about it."

"Right," Mary says shakily, meeting his blue eyes.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

Francis sighs heavily. "How do you think I meant it, Mary?"

Mary spoons some sauce onto her spaghetti and bites her lip. She knows he's trying to press her into revealing that she's always loved him and he's always loved her but it feels weird, somehow. Like it's new and raw and their relationship is never going to be the same again. That terrifies her.

"I love you like that too," Mary whispers. "We have to take things slowly-"

"Why?"

"Because we're best friends and jumping into a romantical relationship could ruin everything! We don't know each other like that, we've known each other for twenty-five years and we've never... _changed_ our relationship. Even when we had sex in uni, we'd shove it under the carpet and laugh about it," she tells him. "And now, we're trying for a baby which may or may not be a thing-why did you take ages to produce the sample?"

Francis lets out an exasperated breath. She's changing the subject but she has a point. "I was uninspired, Mary."

"Why?"

"You know when you proposed the idea in the first place?" He asks softly, seeing her a nod a little. "I sobered up and wanted to take you upstairs and have my way with you so we could skip all of this IUI thing but I played it off. I've never felt anything this strong for any other woman than you, Mary. Even the women between the times I got back with Olivia, I'd choose black-haired girls, brown-eyed girls and imagine they were you."

"Francis..." Mary breathes out, eyes wide.

"And then Olivia is the opposite. She's blonde, blue-eyed, high-maintenance. And I thought you wouldn't want me so I went for her. Although she's not the only blonde I've been with... but I sure do have a type. You."

Mary bows her head, not hungry anymore. "Why were you uninspired?"

Francis chuckles wryly. "Because even though I tried to imagine you in order to give the sample... I realised I didn't want to put it in a tube. I wanted to put it in the host, herself."

Mary almost chokes on air. She thinks about Kenna's explicit remarks and starts sputtering, alarming Francis as he hurries to pour her a glass of water. What is with the people around her being so crude?! She is but in texts and stuff like that but speaking face to face where they can react to her words upfront? She wishes the world will swallow her up because those kinds of things might not go down well at times.

She gulps the glass down and feels Josie curl around her leg for comfort. "I'm good."

"Sorry, was I too honest?"

"No, just th-the right amount," she replies, laughing a little which sets him off too. "Wow. Wasn't what I expected to hear."

Francis smirks. "What do you think about that?"

Mary bites her lip. "We should still... take things slow. To adjust. This is all too quick for me considering I've been hurt before."

"I understand. You know I'm not like-"

"I know _exactly_ the kind of man you are and I love you for it, Francis," Mary says fondly. "Let's wait. I can't deal with too much right now, so we'll focus on the baby and then see where that goes."

Francis nods and pours some sauce onto his spaghetti. "Okay. We'll see how this goes."

* * *

The day before the blood test, Mary gets her period, and if she said she wasn't hurt finding out, she'd be lying. She knows it will take a process, her body has to do its natural work but it makes her feel so small and weak. This one thing she wants, she can't do it. She's always been able to do the things she wanted but now, it's just getting more and more hurtful.

"You'd never know. I think Leeza got her period when she was pregnant with Bella," Francis tries to assure her when she's locked herself in the bathroom, sobbing. "It was only the first month and she was fine throughout."

"I'm tired, Francis. I just want a baby," she tells him.

"I know, Mary."

"I want to give you a baby."

"I know," he says softly. "But Mary, it's not the end of the world. This doesn't mean you won't get pregnant. We can try again next month and I'm sure Dr Diaz will have some advice for you."

Mary sniffles. "I don't think going in for the test tomorrow would prove fruitful-"

"Mary, go. I'll even call him for you and you can talk to him. Would you like that?"

She lets out a puff of air and sighs. "Yeah, go on."

After speaking with Dr Diaz, he still advises her to come tomorrow, just in case Francis was right. That gives her a little hope, but she is already planning for the third cycle which is days before she and Francis go to France.

"My mother's preparing a buffet for the Christmas party," Francis tells her. "She wants you to be a host after finding out you're coming."

Mary pads into her bedroom, which has suddenly become theirs because the habit of sleeping together has now come into play, and she strangely doesn't feel anything strange or excited about it. They've always tended to share beds, sometimes for sexual reasons, others strictly innocent.

"She will even put forward money to buy a whole new outfit. We all must match," he continues.

Mary turns to face him. "I'm not even fam-"

"You've known us for twenty-five years, I think you're more than family," Francis cuts her off knowingly. "So, what do you say? We can get some great food and dance and let loose for Christmas at my family's expense."

She chuckles. It's cheered her up, alright. "Go on, then," she replies.

"I'll let her know you're coming and start arranging for a cat hotel for Josie to go to," he says. "I don't want to risk her throwing up everywhere all over again."

Just before he goes, she calls him and sighs. "If I don't ever get pregnant, what will happen to us?"

Francis frowns. "In what way?"

"Like, you want a kid just as much as I do. If I can't give it to you, Francis, where would that put us?" She asks him.

Francis walks up to her, cups her cheeks and presses a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'd rather have you than not at all," he whispers. "I'm not flushing two decades of loving you down any drain, children or not. Don't worry about it. We _are_ going to have a baby, Mary. I promise you."

She looks up at him with watery eyes. "You can't promise that."

"I can and I have. Now, get some rest, I'll sort dinner out and call you when it's done," he replies.

"Okay."

* * *

"...try for a third cycle. The test came up as negative," Dr Diaz said. "Do you wish to try for another cycle or do you want to take a breather or stop the process overall?"

"We can go for a third go," Mary says quietly. 

Dr Diaz nods. "We have therapy if you need it."

"Not this time. I knew it would take a good few cycles," she says, giving Francis a quick smile.

"What you are feeling is completely normal but don't forget your chances of getting pregnant increase with each cycle done," Dr Diaz reminds her.

She nods and smiles widely. "I know and I'm ready to try again. It was just a little shock as last time, my period hadn't started until after the blood test so... I'm okay, honestly and I'm rearing and ready to prepare for my next cycle."

"Okay," Dr Diaz smiles before continuing with her appointment and letting them go when it's finished.

They decide to make a stop at the supermarket to grab some stuff for dinner and to let Mary walk off her blues by selecting chocolate-filled doughnuts and chocolate chip cookies for dessert with Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

"We should probably start eating healthier," Francis laughs when she puts three different flavours into the trolley.

Mary grins. "We do! This is just to cheer me up."

"Yeah, _cheer_ you up," Francis snorts. "I'm not dealing with your sugar rush, Marie."

"Don't use my government name!"

"You use mine."

"Yeah, when you annoy the shit out of me," she replies, coming to stand beside him and poke his nose.

Biting his lip, Francis eyes her own lips. "Why don't you say that _right_ to my face?"

Mary narrows her eyes knowingly before moving in and quickly turning at the last second when she catches a glimpse of rocket ice lollies. "I _loved_ these as a kid! Mum would complain whenever I let them melt."

"This is way too much ice cream for almost Winter," Francis laughs, blushing at their earlier moment.

Mary shrugs. "I don't play by the rules, Francis. You know this."

"You so do."

"Yeah, but when it comes to ice cream, hell no!"

They laugh and stop by the alcohol aisle to grab some sweet wine for Francis and another bottle for Claude as it's her birthday soon and they probably should see her and arrange plans. 

"I wish I could drink," Mary mumbles, eyeing Francis put the bottles into the trolley. "But I don't want to risk anything."

"Even when you do get pregnant and have the baby, you still probably won't be drinking for a good amount of time," Francis replies.

Mary furrows her brows. "In what sense?"

"You will... breastfeed... right?"

It dawns on Mary and she glances down at her moderately average breasts. "I've never ever thought about a baby breastfeeding from _me_ ," she says, eyes wide. "Wow. I wonder how that will feel."

Francis chuckles. "You've got friends to ask," he reminds her.

"Thank God," she replies, eyeing the second floor. "Hey, let's go upstairs. I need some gloves, I keep losing the ones I have."

Scanning through the endless options for gloves, Mary sees the baby section from the corner of her eye and bites her lip. She chooses a pair of black, leather gloves and looks around for Francis, spotting him heading into the books section.

Curious, she heads to the baby section and starts looking through the baby clothes from pinks to blues to neutral colours and she imagines herself and Francis selecting and choosing the cutest ones for their baby. She's about to go but she finds an onesie that says 'Mummy's Little Star' and she can't help the 'awh' that comes out of her mouth as she takes it.

She decides to take it.

She might as well start somewhere, right? She needs to prepare for a baby, it's going to happen any month now and it's good to start small. Engage the brain into positive thinking to make it real. She can feel it, despite her period being a setback, she still knows that she will get her baby. It's a matter of when.

"All done?" She asks Francis who has picked two hardcover books. 

"Yeah. Got these for light reading on the plane," he explains as they head back downstairs to checkout.

Mary snorts, eyeing the books. "'Light reading'," she scoffs. "Those could take me a week to read. I've not been able to do reading quickly since we were in secondary school."

"Yeah, having no time to spare is a pain in the arse as an adult," he replies.

When they start offloading their shopping onto the conveyor, Mary tells Francis that she forgot to get ketchup and asks him to grab a large bottle for them which he does dutifully as the cashier starts scanning their items. She quickly shoves the onesie to the front and the female middle-aged cashier smiles knowingly, scanning the outfit as Mary hurries to quickly bag it along with the snacks before continuing to offload the trolley.

By the time Francis returns, there is a quarter of shopping left to be scanned and Francis adds the ketchup at the end, seeing the cashier scanning another bottle.

"Oh, baby brain already?" He jests in kind, pointing to the ketchup she now puts in a shopping bag.

Mary chuckles, rolling her eyes. "I forgot, okay?" She laughs nervously as he comes around to help her.

That was close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Francis and Mary are seeing where their relationship goes and Mary, unfortunately, gets her period but there is still a chance she could have a successful next cycle.


	9. Cycle Three & Christmas Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas and Mary wants some wishes to come true following her third cycle of IUI and she and Francis getting closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week has been crazy. Busy with exams, deadlines and lab work at university so updates will be spaced. Enjoy the next chapter!

"Any plans today?"

Mary keeps her eyes on the familiar ceiling as she nods at Dr Diaz's question. "Yeah, going shopping for Christmas presents and a whole new dinner outfit," she replies.

"You'll be stuck in queues," Dr Diaz chuckles.

"Yeah, but it's worth it. We've already done the bulk of the present hunting a couple of weeks ago, but we're looking for gifts for people we didn't know that are coming to the Christmas dinner," she replies before sighing. "Maybe my Christmas present will come true."

Finishing up, Dr Diaz gives her a comforting smile. "Your chances are increasing."

"Let's hope they're increasing greatly," she replies. "I'd like to be a mother before I'm thirty-one."

"Treatment for IUIs work up to thirty-five years of age, Mary," Dr Diaz says as she shifts from a lying position to a sitting one. "Your fertility could still be in good shape at thirty-six even. But just as with IVF, the older you get, the fewer chances you have."

"Okay. Thanks," she says before he excuses himself to let her get some privacy to rest and get changed.

Retrieving her phone from her bag, Mary checks the time and sees that it's just gone past noon. She sets a timer for twenty-five minutes to catch a quick nap before getting dressed and leaving.

Slowly, she's been adding to her growing pile of baby things and somehow, there is something that's telling her that third time's a charm. It started off with that onesie from Tesco's and has ended up with adorable teething rings and baby bottles from John Lewis when she and Francis went gift buying.

Even her mother dragged her and her brother's baby things from the attic, blankets and christening gowns and it's surprising Mary that Francis hasn't caught on at all. Just the other day as she was working, her fingers had a mind of their own, opening up a new tab to browse baby names.

She doesn't know if it's an unhealthy obsession at this point but if she is actively working towards having a baby, it shouldn't hurt that she's _preparing_ for it too, right? 

Before Mary knows it, she's wandering Westfield with Francis, going in and out of shops for the perfect formalwear. She's looking for something that hugs her figure and shows some cleavage as it will probably be the last Christmas for a while that she's her current size. And she's going to wear heels with it before she will probably switch those out for flat shoes.

All of her friends have warned her about swollen ankles and apparently, Kenna had meltdowns about hers. Mary hopes to keep her emotions in check but she knows she'll be just as emotional when her favourite pair of shoes won't fit her feet anymore.

"What do you think? Black tie or a Christmassy one?" Francis asks, showing her two ties. One is a snowy theme and the other is a simple black tie.

"Is this party really formal or are we also going to add ugly sweaters to the mix?" She asks back, grabbing the snowy one.

Francis grins. "My father's wearing an ugly Santa sweater," he tells her. "I'm going to wear one too during dinner. I got Rudolph and his red nose plays his jingle when you press it."

Mary gapes. "And you didn't think to tell me to get one? They'll be sold out of ugly sweaters by now..." She pouts.

"How about a lovely, nice one instead," Francis suggests, nudging his head in the direction of the womenswear upstairs where a neat blue and white Christmas sweater is on the rack from their view downstairs.

"It is cute..." Mary drawls. "But I think I'll go with the black and white one if my dress is going to be black."

"Are you going to a funeral or a party?" He laughs, grabbing both ties as he decides to wear one with his suit blazer and the snowy one with his sweater.

Mary rolls her eyes, gesturing to her Winter coat-clad frame. "Black is elegant. Don't you want to be the envy of the party? Having me on your arm?" She pokes his chest, pulling him towards her by the collar of his jacket.

"It will be a first," he says lightly, pecking her forehead before leading her upstairs. "Grab the sweater and we'll go and find you a dress to make you the _belle of the ball_."

"Ooh, I love that!" She says. "Belle of the ball! You know how to make a woman feel special."

Francis chuckles loudly, gaining a coy look from an elderly woman. He blushes and continues to follow Mary around the shop before they go and pay for their new stuff. 

It takes another two hours until Mary finds the perfect dress and heads to the changing rooms to try it on as Francis waits. It's slimline and reaches her calves, accenting her curves perfectly and she just _knows_ Francis will bug out seeing her in such a dress. 

She's worn many dresses that have caught his eye. Actually, she can remember when they were seven, the day after her birthday in August when she wore a pretty yellow summer dress and Francis couldn't stop gushing over it, saying something about one of his sisters being unable to pull off such a colour. Funnily enough, his mother took a photo of them picking flowers in their gardens and has that photo in her home office along with other photographs of her children as kids.

She heads out of the changing room and poses, waiting for Francis to take notice of her as his eyes are glued to his phone. "Ahem?"

Blue eyes rise upwards and then he's gaping like he's out of breath. "J-Jesus, Mary! Y-You're wearing _that_?!"

Mary frowns. "What's wrong with-"

"Now, I really don't stand a chance," he says. "My cousins are going to be there Mary. The _guy_ ones especially and if they see you in _that_ , you'll never be left alone. You're going to need a bodyguard."

"Or I'll tell them I'm your baby mama," Mary replies simply, making him choke. Kenna has seriously got to her now. "Then they'll be forced to look away from my perfection." She twirls around and grins.

"Are you trying to kill me?" He asks, shifting some shopping bags on top of his lap. "Go and change right now."

Mary narrows her eyes. "Why?" She asks, turning around and looking at him over her shoulder. "Has a little someone awakened down there?"

"Fuck you, Mary," Francis breathes out, searching for something before leaving the other stuff they're buying. "Excuse me. Whilst I'm gone, go and change."

She cackles when he shuffles off and shakes her head in disbelief. She can't _believe_ she makes _him_ feel that way. She's always turned guys on but Francis has always seemed to have kept it hidden from her. But lately, he could be mistaken for a dog on heat.

She does as told and returns back in her usual clothes. She grabs the stuff Francis left, slinging the dress over one arm and heading to the large queue that grows to get items checked out. It is busy for December and Mary can't wait to be done with the shopping and put her feet up.

But she remains patient, letting out a giggle when Francis joins her before she heads to one of the tills.

* * *

The day of the Christmas party arrives all too soon on their third day in France and Mary attends on Francis's arm, surprised that for an 'intimate' event, the room is full of people. Apparently, they're either work colleagues of Catherine or Henry or family friends or even extended, _extended_ family members. Mary has no idea why this party has such a high number of guests.

"Francis, Mary, over here!" 

Mary turns first and spots Catherine waving them over, a flute of champagne in her other hand. "Catherine!"

When they reach her, Catherine hugs Mary first. "God, aren't you just a darling in that dress? I knew I could count on you to uphold the image of this family."

"Thank you," Mary laughs. "You're stunning too, Catherine."

Catherine gives Francis a wink. "For once, I am happy with you," she tells him. "Bringing Mary and not that wretched..." She rolls her eyes before smiling once more. "I really wish you weren't here for another two days only. I'd beg you to extend your stay but you know me, I don't beg."

It's a hint, that Mary should really take it on but she can't, she has her appointment to think about. She takes Catherine's free hand in both of hers. "I really wish I could but you know..." She glances at her stomach and Catherine beams tearfully.

"Mothers have this intuition," she says before leaning close to Mary's ear. "It's happening, Mary."

"I hope it is," Mary whispers back, taking Francis's hand. "We should greet everyone else. I see Kenna, Bash and the children."

"Soon, I'll have seven grandbabies to dote on!" Catherine gushes before floating away to greet more guests.

Francis snorts. "I like how you're suddenly her golden child and I've just been pushed to the side," he says. "It takes two to make a baby."

Mary places her hands on his shoulders and smirks. "Is someone feeling a little left out?"

"She's been obsessed with you women throughout this trip," he mutters. "And I'm the one who got her the watch she wanted for Christmas!"

"You're acting like a child," Mary laughs.

"Oh, should I start calling you 'Mummy' now?" He asks her, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her to his chest.

Mary flushes and licks her lips. "You can call me that in-"

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

"Leeza!" Mary cries out, hugging the woman tightly. "It feels like forever since I last saw you!"

Leeza laughs. "You saw me yesterday."

"Exactly," Mary breathes out, pulling away. 

"And you say you aren't a couple," Leeza tells them. "Do us all a favour and get together. Mother would prefer that over the stuff we got her this year."

Mary gives Leeza a look. "Your mother asks for too much."

"Don't let her hear you say that," Francis laughs. "And we're trying, Leeza, remember?"

"Aren't babies the best?" Leeza gushes. "When they're not sucking you dry and vomiting all over you. Trust me, Mary, you'll come to love baby sick and kids deliberating coughing in your face when they're sick."

Mary grins, sharing a look with Francis. "Bring it on!"

* * *

France feels like a dream because before she knows it, she's back at home, wrapping Christmas gifts for her family. It's almost New Year's and her mother is having a little get together which Francis is invited to so Mary hopes that he and her mother and brother can get to bond with him a little more as they prepare to have a baby.

She's got a few more stuff whilst in France for the baby. Just some Winterwear like gloves, booties and cute hats and she packed them away into her bottom drawer before stuffing some of her underwear and bras on top of it. Francis would think she was weird, preparing for a baby that isn't even guaranteed yet.

But his mother is hopeful and so is Dr Diaz. However, it is only her third attempt and it could very well be another negative result but she just tells herself that no matter the result, she will have a baby regardless. Whether it takes three goes or ten, she won't give up.

As she finishes cello-taping the last present which is for her nephew, Harold, she feels a presence behind her and smiles when Francis places a hot mug of hot chocolate down on the coffee table.

"Thanks," she says, patting the gift down with a relieved sigh. "I've got three paper cuts now."

"Want me to kiss them all better?" He asks.

She blushes. "You can try," she replies, sticking her fingers up to his face as he sits down on the sofa and pulls them to his mouth. She holds his gaze as he presses soft kisses on every one of the cuts and she laughs softly, pulling her hand back so she can push herself off of the floor. "All better, thanks.

Francis smirks. "I've got the magic healing powers in me," he tells her. "Are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?" Mary replies, sitting down next to him and reaching forward to grab her hot chocolate.

"No reason, just making sure you're good," Francis says. "Dr Diaz said that checking up on you would be a good thing to encourage you and let you know that I'm here for you."

Mary smiles, squeezing his forearm. "I'm good."

She's considered taking the offer of therapy up the last time she heard that the cycle was unsuccessful but she's okay now. She doesn't think she's too far gone to ask for therapy yet. She knew it would take time and a few rounds to work. It isn't magic, her body is not a breeding mare.

"Thanks for asking," she adds. "I guess I'm just mentally preparing for either way," she replies. "Next week's going to be... huge."

"It will be the end of the month..." He trails off. "And then a new year."

"When I'll be a year older," Mary mumbles. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I'm not a mum before my next birthday, Francis. And I'm not a naïve person. I _know_ that trying for a baby could take months or years even. But I think I've wanted a baby since my best friends started having theirs. Even though I'm sure most of their pregnancies were surprises, I felt like waiting to find the right person to start a family was the way to go. But I shouldn't have waited until now... Because then I wouldn't be stuck getting drunk at thirty, begging for my best friend to donate his goods to give me a baby."

Francis snorts. " _Goods_ ," he repeats with a coy smile. "And Mary, if you had asked me this five years ago, I'd still say 'yes'."

Mary turns to him in surprise. "What?"

"Even if you told me that you wanted me to be your boyfriend, I'd say 'yes', a million times," he tells her.

"Even if you were still with Olivia?"

Francis lets out a breath of air. "Maybe I would have had the balls to leave her then. End the toxic cycle between us. And had something better, worthwhile... healthier. And a chance to be a dad whilst I was at it."

"You'll be a great dad, Francis," Mary whispers.

Francis takes her hand in both of his own and presses a kiss on her palm. "You'll be a wonderful mother, Mary... You haven't given me my Christmas gift."

Mary furrows her brows. "I gave you the-"

"My _real_ gift," he cuts her off. " _You_."

Mary laughs in disbelief, slapping his chest. "Francis..."

"I mean it," Francis says. "I want you."

Mary licks her bottom lip and nods. "Slow, okay? We'll take things slow. I don't want a messy relationship destroying what we have, okay? If there was a choice between losing you and being in your life as a friend, I'd choose to be your friend because I don't know what I'll do if you're not in my life."

"Mary, if that is what you're scared of... Ruining our friendship in favour of a relationship that could go awry... Then banish those thoughts right now," Francis replies. "Because we're going to take this leap. Together."

Without saying a word, Mary pulls him in for a deep kiss and when they pull apart, she gives him the smile. The smile which tells him that they're taking this leap. Together.

* * *

"We have the results from your blood test," Dr Diaz starts.

Mary grips Francis's hand tightly and bites her lip. This appointment falls before their dinner with her family and if she can give them some good news, _everyone_ some good news, she'll be elated. Ending the year on a high - a baby high.

"Do you want the good news or bad news?" Dr Diaz asks and Mary's eyes widen as she wonders what could be bad and what could be good.The bad, she's not pregnant and the good that he's going to give her a discount for her next cycle or even announce that her chances have increased even more? The good, she's pregnant and the bad that there are a billion risks that could affect her baby or her?

"Don't look so worried," Dr Diaz tells her, cracking a smile and she gasps, covering her mouth as tears spring to her eyes.

"No..." Francis breathes out, pressing his forehead against the side of her head. "She's... pregnant?"

Dr Diaz nods and Mary closes her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Congratulations, you're pregnant. But the bad news is, you won't be able to drink or eat raw food for a good while yet."

Sniffling, Mary laughs. "And I'll still have to have all of those regular check-ups."

"Of course," Dr Diaz says with a playful roll of his eyes. "We love you too much over here, we can't let you go for long periods of time."

Mary giggles, sharing a happy smile with Francis, hugging him tightly. "It's happening. I knew it! Your mother knew it! Oh my God, we have to tell everyone-"

"I'd advise letting friends and relatives know until the twelve-week mark," Dr Diaz tells her. "As it is with every pregnancy."

Mary nods. "Right. God, I don't think I'll be able to keep quiet about this to my mother today," she mumbles. "We should cancel and not see her or anyone until twelve weeks have passed. God, I'm going to explode."

"Please don't, our baby will go right with you," Francis laughs, kissing her cheek. "I'm so proud of you."

Mary beams, pressing her hands against her nonexistent bump. It's finally happening. The best way to end the year is with news of new life coming in the next year. She ought to tell Francis about all of the baby things she has got for their baby. Their baby which is coming in September.

"We'll have an Autumn baby," she breathes out. "Oh, this... this is the best day of my life."

Her Christmas wishes have come true - Francis _and_ their baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Mary and Francis are together and they're having a baby. Are their new life changes flourishing or will they take a turn for the worse?


	10. Baby Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and Francis bask in their baby news and they visit Greer at the hospital who has just had her own baby, Joy from which the titles relates to the newborn and Francis and Mary's joy for their own bundle of joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys! Uni has been so stressful this week, I had a bunch of labs that were nine hours straight, no sitting down as I was working with bacteria cultures that grew fast and had to constantly be working on them to decrease chances of contamination and destroying my last year of uni thesis. It's stressful and I had to travel hours to and from uni so I got home late and went straight to bed after eating my dinners on trains. But for now, that is over and I'm back on track with only deadlines for other modules upon me which are not until December so I can finally write! God, I missed this!
> 
> We have some adorable Frary moments and Mary gets more advice on what she's going to eventually experience.

"Fran-"

"I'm going to do a food shop," Francis says, writing down a list as he investigates everything in the kitchen cupboards. "You should avoid certain meats, all types of cheeses, fish and caffeine. I know you love caffeine because it helps you work but I'll get you some decaf instead."

Mary leans against the wall and watches him fly about the kitchen, like a busy fairy on a mission and she stifles her giggles with her hand. "I'll come with you-"

"No, you'll get some rest," Francis replies, not bothering to look at her as he continues to write up his inventory. "We got home late last night and you were working all morning so have a nap. You'll feel better for it."

She smiles and nods a little. "Are you sure?"

Stopping his writing, he looks up and nods. "Yes. I can handle a few chores. Speaking of chores, no more hoovering and cleaning, I'll do those. Don't want you lifting a finger at all, am I clear?"

"I'm not an invalid," Mary chuckles. "And I'm in my first trimester, Francis. I'm not even three weeks pregnant yet."

Francis tuts, crossing his arms. "Haven't you read all of those blogs and doctors' websites? Most miscarriages occur within the first trimester, so up until twelve weeks. If I can get you to avoid doing anything until the safe mark then I will."

"Okay..., Daddy."

That almost makes Francis choke up and he walks over to her to capture her lips in a kiss. "We're having a baby."

Mary beams and nods, winding her arms around his neck. "We are. How do you feel about that?"

"Terrified but I'm so happy, I could burst."

" _I_ could burst too!" She cries out happily before they share another kiss. "Thank you, for making my wish come true."

Francis nuzzles his nose against hers and smiles. "I'll always make your wishes come true." He pauses to press a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

Mary smiles against his chest. "I love you too," she whispers back.

* * *

"Greer's had her baby!" Mary cries out the next week as she hurries out of their bed to go into the shower, chucking her phone on the bedside table in her rush.

"Mary!"

She stops and meekly slows down, giving Francis a wink before disappearing into the bathroom with him following behind her. "She had a girl! Oh my God, what if _we_ have a girl and she will be best friends with Raven, Bella and... _Joy_. They named her 'Joy'!" She gushes, stripping her clothes off.

Francis chuckles and smiles happily. "How are Greer and Joy doing?"

"Lola just said that Greer's resting up but the baby is so adorable! Bald but adorable! Our baby's going to be so adorable," Mary replies, turning the shower on. Everything she talks about draws back to the baby so she's glad she rarely sees everyone and only texts them otherwise she'd blurt that she is three weeks pregnant. She's a volcano that is just waiting to explode.

"We'll have to grab the happy family something then," Francis says, heading to the sinks to brush his teeth. "Especially something for Joy... Maybe we should start buying stuff for our baby."

Mary pauses under the warm stream of water and turns to view him through the glass of the shower. "Y-Yeah. Are you sure we should start this early? I mean, we still have a while to go."

"Yeah, I meant like hats and gloves and stuff," Francis says, squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush. "Not like a crib or buggy or anything like that. We'll start small now that it's confirmed."

Mary pulls a nervous face, glad that the steam hides her reactions. "Yeah, sure."

"To be honest, I'm terrified of telling our mothers. We know they'll take over the whole process with 'do's and don't's'," he tells her. "And remember that they've already stuffed the spare bedroom with our own baby stuff."

"Yeah, you wore questionable stuff back then," Mary laughs. "Who wore rainbow trackies?"

Francis scoffs. "It was stylish, Marie!"

"The Nineties were weird..." She replies with a chuckle. "Uh, don't judge me."

"For what?" Francis asks, muffled by brushing his teeth.

"I may have _slowly_ been buying things for the baby. Since the second cycle..." She trails off. She hears him spit and soon, she feels a cold gust of wind because he opens the shower door, water splashing out. "Francis!"

"Things like what?" He asks suspiciously as he drags the bathroom mat to the shower.

Mary shrugs. "Clothes, I guess? Just the normal cute baby clothes. I couldn't resist."

"Want to go through them together later today?"

"You're not mad? Or worse, think I'm crazy for buying stuff for a baby we didn't know we'll have?" Mary asks, eyes wide.

Francis gives her a fond smile. "We can share loots."

" _You_ got the baby stuff?"

"When you weren't looking, I went crazy at the toy store," Francis tells her. "And my dad is shipping one of our old rocking horses over. I thought _you_ would find _me_ crazy."

Mary laughs in disbelief. "We're just as bad as each other!"

"Yes, we are. Now, hurry up and shower. I've got to-"

She pulls him in under the hot stream, taking his shirt off in the process. "How about..." She starts, trailing her fingers down his bare chest. "We share?"

* * *

"She's just so beautiful, Greer. Well done," Mary gushes, seated at the hospital chair with Joy in her arms.

"Thank you," Greer says softly. "What about you? Was this cycle successful?"

Mary bites her lip and she shrugs. "We'll see," she lies. _Not yet._ "I'm hopeful though." And she's smiling widely, Greer returning the grin as Mary continues rocking Joy in her arms.

She takes a deep inhale of Joy, smelling the baby products which almost sets her off as she smiles widely and closes her eyes. She might as well give Greer some respite and take Joy home with her and Francis. And it's not a bad idea as she starts thinking about babysitting for practice. Her friends won't mind and she'll make sure to return every child the way their parent gave them to her.

"I almost want to steal her away," Mary gushes, pressing her cheek against Joy's soft one. "She's so precious!"

"Mary, I think you should give Greer back her baby now," Francis laughs, pointing at Joy's kissy face. "She's searching for something."

Greer snorts, shoving her arms forward for her child. "Yeah, that's her 'feed me, peasant' face there," she says as Mary begrudgingly returns the baby to her mother.

"I'll wait outside," Francis says awkwardly when Greer freezes to pull her gown down. "Perhaps help Aloysius with... yeah, bye."

The women laugh as Francis hurries out of the room, closing the door securely behind him with his ears stained pink. After a while, Mary watches as Greer helps her daughter latch on. It's not foreign to her. They're women, they've known each other since they were babies. What's seeing each other feeding their children? It's Kenna's fault really and for their twenty-fifth birthdays, she managed to convince them to get naked photoshoots.

It was really empowering for Mary who was in an abusive relationship back then. The words her ex told her didn't matter as she had fun and realised that she was perfect the way she was for _herself_ and no one else's opinions. She will always be grateful to Kenna as it gave Mary the strength to leave the arsehole because she realised she was worth a million than him.

"How does it feel?" Mary asks, smiling warmly when Joy's eyes open a little and land on her.

"Breastfeeding?" Greer asks with a smile as Mary nods. "It's so natural. You have to get as much skin-to-skin as possible for it to work. The baby gets used to you and it could help them latch on. Some women find it hard. I did with my first but with this little one, it's all coming back to me." She takes her daughter's small hand and presses it on the top of her breast. "There's a connection between you and your baby... one that could never be broken because you are at your most intimate, they feel their safest as they feed and you'll do anything for them."

Mary's eyes sting with tears as she bites back a smile. "God, I can't wait. I'm scared I'll screw things up."

Greer scoffs, shaking her head. "Mary... Parenting is a learning process. Lola, Kenna and I all experience it differently as well as our husbands. No matter how many books you read, you'll feel like you're not prepared. This is Aloysius eight child and you'd think he'd be an expert by now but children are unpredictable. So you have to adapt and hope they turn out wonderful at the end of it."

"Greer... promise you won't say a word to anyone nor tell Francis I told you," Mary whispers.

Greer smirks, giving Mary a wink. "I know. Congratulations, honey."

Mary bites her lip, bowing her head shyly as she giggles. "I feel like I've been on cloud 9! And I want to burst so badly but... Twelve weeks, I wasn't allowed to tell anyone until then but I had to tell _someone_!"

Greer chuckles and nods. "I'm happy for you. Now, wait until you hit the six-week mark because you'll feel like crap from all the morning sickness starting."

"Bloody hell," Mary mutters before they laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mary now knows a little more about breastfeeding and she and Francis are just as bad as each other buying their baby stuff presumptively.


	11. Babysitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and Francis accept an offer to babysit Kenna and Bash's children, Robin and Raven, allowing the parents to have a night to themselves and Mary and Francis learn more about parenting in preparation for their own child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a little funny moment in this chapter, hope you guys enjoy it!

"Will I be forced to hold Kenna's breastmilk?" Francis asks as they drive to Kenna and Bash's house to babysit. 

It's their first night out in months since Raven was born and Mary has jumped at the chance to be their babysitter as opposed to the couple forking out for one. She thinks she's got it covered but Francis is fretting over every little thing that Mary knows relays back onto their growing child.

He doesn't want to mess things up, he wants to learn and observe and take notes so when their baby arrives in almost nine months time, he'll have a few things in the bag. Like nappies because Bash has warned him that Raven poops a lot because she eats a lot. And other newborn things.

"I'll feed Raven if you're too squeamish," Mary laughs. "You can handle Robin."

"I've only babysat Robin once," Francis tells her. "When he was like three and for an hour. I gave him a lot of marshmallows, and he threw up everywhere so I'm surprised they're letting me try again."

Mary grins, side-eyeing him briefly. "Francis, it's because I'm here to rein you in."

He rolls his eyes. "I can look after a kid!"

"You just said you gave Robin a lot of marshmallows and he threw up everywhere..."

"Okay, my track record looks questionable..." He trails off, making them chuckle. "It can't be that hard. Just help Robin with his homework, playtime, feed them dinner, screen time and then bedtime at eight."

Mary tuts. "You say that now..." She trails off. "Don't jinx us, Francis!"

"You got to have faith," Francis says, turning the radio on and grinning when 'Faith' by George Michael is on. "See? It's fate, Mary. You _gotta have faith, faith, faith!_ "

When they arrive at the house, they ring the doorbell and wait patiently in the cold. England doesn't snow much but there are signs of frost everywhere and Mary tuts when she realises that Kenna or Bash has probably forgotten to remove one Christmassy item from their front window, a toy Santa that dances.

"Back in France, the decorations come down by the first Sunday. We make it a whole thing," Francis tells Mary. 

"Yeah and then you get those who can't be arsed like my mother who keeps hers up for most of the year," she replies, making them laugh just as the door finally opens.

"Kenna! They're here!" Bash calls up the stairs, already leaving the door for Mary and Francis to step inside and closed behind them. "Right, follow me."

Mary gives Francis a look. _He's like a bloody drill_ _sergeant_ , she thinks with a chuckle between them. "Hey, Robin!" She says as they pass the child pulling his school bag into the dining room.

"Hi," the boy says before they disappear into the kitchen where Bash points to the fridge.

"On the fridge are a bunch of important numbers. Mine, Kenna's-"

"We already have your numbers?" Francis replies.

Bash gives him a look. "What if your phones fail you? Hmm? We have a landline just in case but if the power cuts out or something and you have no devices, you can then seek the next appropriate means of communication and view this lovely post-it note that Kenna left you. It also has Robin's doctor's number and Raven's doctor's number if you need them for whatever reason but I hope to God, you don't." He points to the different coloured note beside the phone numbers' one. "Allergies. Don't feed my son nuts or strawberries. We do have both because Kenna loves them but we keep them away from Robin's reach anyway."

"Okay," Mary nods.

Bash then opens the freezer part of the fridge. "In the first shelf, Raven's milk. Kenna has written instructions on how to heat it and test it before giving it to Raven." He sees Francis gag. "It's breastmilk, Francis, it won't kill you."

"I know but it's one thing dealing with your brother's wife's breastmilk that's come out of her... you know-"

"Breast? As breastmilk should come from? As you have had your mother's when you were a baby?"

"Bash!"

"Francis, just for that, _you're_ on feeding duty," Bash says, closing the freezer. "And I will _know_ if you shirk that onto Mary. We have cameras everywhere."

Mary laughs. "You're helicopter parents!"

"No, we're just aware that every babysitter we've hired so far as stolen stuff from us," Bash replies, opening the fridge again. "Wine, beer. Only after you've put the kids down." He closes the freezer and places his hands on his hips. "Any questions?"

"No," Mary says, glaring at Francis when he's about to open his mouth. "Just go and enjoy your date."

"Okay..." Bash says dubiously but he leads them into the dining room. "I'll get Raven, Robin needs help with his subtraction exercises."

As he heads upstairs, Mary takes her coat off and hangs it over the chair before sitting down and sliding Robin's homework into her view as Francis takes the boy's other side. 

"Right, if Jane has eight apples and eats two, how many does she have left?" Mary asks a baffled Robin. She then takes his hands and moulds them into holding up eight fingers.

"Jane," Francis starts. "Has eight of these yummy apples." He counts Robin's fingers by poking them and making the kid giggle. "Now, she's eaten two of them." He puts two of Robin's fingers down. "Count them, kiddo."

Robin counts under his breath and shows them the six fingers. "Six.

"Great job! Now, write it down," Mary tells him, pointing to the spot where the answer goes.

"Hiya!" Kenna calls out, putting her earrings on as she presses a kiss on top of Robin's head. "Thanks so much for babysitting!"

"No worries," Francis says. 

"No problem, you can always count on us," Mary adds, giving her a quick hug as Francis raises a brow at Kenna's velvet, lowcut dress.

"You look great," he says, surprised.

Kenna waves him off with a smirk. "We all know I look better than just _great_."

"Yeah but your husband is my brother and I don't think he'll appreciate me swooning over your post-baby look," Francis jokes making Kenna slap his shoulder. "I thought we had two kids to babysit?"

Kenna blows out a puff of air, hurrying off to search for her heels. "Raven is a little fussy right now, but Bash will bring her down soon," she calls over her shoulder.

Deciding to leave Francis to help Robin with the rest of the kid's homework, Mary gets started on dinner. It's just simple pasta carbonara today and Kenna has already helped get it started by pre-cooking the pasta.

"Here she is," she hears, turning to grin and hold her hands out to take Raven into her arms. 

"Hi, baby!" Mary coos, the little girl pouting and pulling a face. "Now, your mama and papa can _finally_ go!"

Bash chuckles, slipping his blazer on. "Are you guys sure you don't mind babysitting until twelve?"

"Lord knows what you and Kenna want to do at twelve in the morning, but yeah," Mary replies lightly. "Now get going."

Almost tentative to do so, Bash and Kenna finally finish up getting ready, kiss their kids on their heads and leave. It makes Mary sigh in relief because Raven's already dozing off so she can put her in the rocking mamaroo and continue to do dinner.

Almost finished with dinner an hour later Mary heads to check on Francis and Robin who are now watching some cartoons on the TV. She looks over at an awake Raven and smiles, returning to the kitchen just in time to turn the timer off when it goes off.

"Dinner's ready! Robin, wash your hands!" She calls out.

She hears Francis follow the boy to the kitchen, both of them playing with the bubbles as they wash their hands. Not wanting to leave Raven on her own in the living room, Mary goes to lift her but decides to slide the rocker into the dining room instead before Francis quickly takes over.

"No, heavy handling!" He cries out, lifting both rocker and baby at the same time.

Mary rolls her eyes playfully but goes to grab the carbonara and bring it to the dining table with oven mitts as it is still hot. "Hey, Robbers, can you grab the juice and some cups, please?"

"Okay!" The boy says, hurrying into the kitchen as she narrowly avoids him running into her. 

She places the dish on the rack and places the serving spoon before it. It's quite homely. She can see her and Francis with their little ones eating dinner. Their eldest talking away as their youngest falls asleep or feeds in her arms... Sometimes, she catches herself being jealous of what her friends have but then she realises... she's getting that too.

A hand presses against her stomach before she quickly starts serving everyone, bringing Raven in her arms and hushing her when the baby starts to get frustrated at the lack of attention and probably in need of a good feed. "Can you-"

"On it," Francis says, pulling a face as he stands.

He takes his time but Mary has Raven distracted by her hair which the baby latches onto tightly as she gurgles and makes noises. It hurts but apparently, babies need working on their reflexes and grips so she lets it happen, sometimes gently easing her hair out of the baby's grip when it gets too discomforting to bear.

"How do I test if it's okay?" Francis asks, returning with a baby bottle.

"Taste it," Mary jokes.

He glares at her but checks Kenna's note over. "'Shake two times...'," he mutters. "'A few drops on the inside of wrist', okay." He does as told and accepts it, handing the bottle to Mary before absentmindedly licking the milk from his wrist as he sits down since he can't find a dishcloth or something to wipe his wrist. Then he pales and starts gagging. "Oh, God-"

"I'm sure it's nothing your brother hasn't done," Mary says cheekily.

"Oh, Mary, you-" He cuts off his own curse as he downs water much to his nephew's amusement and laughter. 

Mary chortles. "Francis, you both were breastfed, I imagine," she says with a smirk. Then she lowers her voice just for him, "But Bash has obviously indulged in another woman's source." She looks down at their niece pointedly.

"I hate you," Francis whines before gagging once again. "Don't tell anyone. They will laugh at me for years."

Mary nods. "Okay, fine. I'll try and keep mum on it. But if it comes out drunkenly in say, a year or so..."

"Might have to shut you up somehow," Francis says, taking a bite from his plate and giving her a wink.

_Not when children are listening, Francis,_ she thinks with a deep blush. "Eat up, Robin. Don't play with your food," she says instead, sending Francis a warning look.

_Enough flirting, for now,_ she thinks, smiling to herself as she continues to feed Raven.

* * *

"Robin's out like a light," Francis says when he joins Mary downstairs as she pets Raven to sleep. "This was surprisingly really easy."

She smiles, accepting his offer to snuggle after he lifts an arm. She keeps Raven in her arm, brushing her thumb over the baby's cheek as she sleeps. She can't wait to hold her own baby that's growing inside of her. She wonders what their child would be like.

Would they be as quiet and easy as their niece? Or as loud and demanding as Catherine? She chuckles at the thought and sighs wistfully, gaining Francis's attention from the TV.

"I'm so happy that we're going to have a baby," she tells him. "But I'm a little scared."

"Of what?"

Mary shrugs. "Everything. Like breastfeeding, I don't want to do it wrong. A-And changing a nappy. Raven's not so much of a newborn anymore so she's easy but how will I change a really small baby's nappy? How would I even hold them? I could break them!"

"You won't break them," Francis chuckles, nuzzling his nose against the side of her head. "You'll be perfect. Everything will kick in..." He presses his hand against her tummy. "When we see our baby for the first time."

"Yeah," Mary whispers when Raven starts to fuss. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe. Just sleep and dream of happy things."

"You're a natural," Francis says into her ear which makes her blush. "Should we put her down?"

Mary nods and gets up, Francis leading the way up the stairs into Raven's room. He opens the door and she steps in first, putting Raven in her crib and pulling the blanket over the baby before turning the night light on and leaving as Francis closes the door behind them. 

Just as they are about to go back downstairs, they hear Raven's whines and soon, she's wailing.

"Shit," Francis whispers. "I've got it. You've done lots."

Mary lets him go back into the room and he brings the baby into his arms, hushing her down as he moves around the room. She watches as he starts talking to Raven, about anything and nothing at the same time. Like he's talking to another adult, treating the baby like the human she is and not a dumb thing that cries all the time and poops and eats. She's a living, breathing person and one day, she'll understand the world a lot better than they have so far.

"...maybe an astronaut," Francis says, taking a seat at the bay window as Raven responds with what seems to be a curious gurgle. "Your father was obsessed with Space. Girls can be astronauts too..."

After thirty minutes, Raven is back in her crib and Francis and Mary return to watch some TV.

"I wonder what you'll talk to our baby about," Mary muses as she lays her head on his lap.

Pulling a strand of her hair around his finger, his other hand interlocks with hers over her belly. "So many things," he says. "The weather, sports, hobbies... Whatever they are interested in... Do you talk to our baby?"

Mary shakes her head. "I don't even think they have ears yet," she admits softly. "Do you think we should?"

"It wouldn't hurt," Francis says as he smiles widely.

"Okay," Mary breathes out. "I guess I'll start?"

"If you want..."

Mary bites her lip nervously before taking a deep breath in and releasing it. "Hi," she says quietly, rubbing her tummy. "I'm your mummy... You're really small right now, perhaps even just a bundle of cells but I love you already. Is that crazy? It probably is but it feels right. _You_ feel right. I've waited for you for so long and now you're real..." Tears clog up her throat and she feels Francis press a kiss on her forehead. "I never want to let you go."

"Neither do I," Francis breathes out, holding her hand tightly. "And that's your daddy speaking. You're already so perfect to us and we love you so much and can't wait to meet you..."

Mary closes her eyes, a faint smile on her lips as she drifts off to sleep, feeling Francis's hand in hers over their baby.

* * *

"Mary?"

Mary groans, not opening her eyes. "What?"

"I think they're back," Francis whispers, gently moving her off of him and getting up to go and check. He peeps through the window and nods. "Yeah, they're back but I think they'll need a minute."

Mary sits up curiously. "Why?"

"They're making out," Francis replies, returning to sit next to her. "It's not twelve o'clock for another five minutes or so, so they're _really_ making every second count."

Mary chuckles and she sighs when they hear Raven crying on the baby monitor. "Want to leave that to the unsuspecting parents?"

Francis chuckles. "No, that would be too evil," he says, making her roll her eyes playfully as they get up and head upstairs.

When they get to the third step, the front door opens and they turn to see Kenna's face drop when she hears her youngest's wails.

"We were hoping she'd be down," she mutters, taking her coat off as Bash closes the door. "We are sleep training her."

"We've got it," Mary replies as Kenna kicks her heels off. "Take your time."

She pulls Francis upstairs and goes to settle Raven back to sleep but the baby cries herself out, making them laugh in disbelief.

"She's _so_ easy," Mary breathes out in wonder. "I'm praying our baby is too."

"Our baby will be wonderful. But even if they cry all the time, I'll still love hearing that sound because they're alive and real and ours," he tells her as they move to head down the stairs.

Mary stops him for a moment, pressing a quick kiss on his lips. "Today was fun. Talking to our baby for the first time."

"It was," he says, pecking her forehead. "We'll do it more."

"Definitely," she replies before they return downstairs and find four glasses of wine waiting on the kitchen counter as Kenna pops open a bottle.

"Thank you _so_ much for babysitting," Kenna says. "We owe you both big time but we're hoping you'll settle for one glass of red before you head home."

Francis declines. "I'm driving and it's quite late."

"Then join us, Mary," Bash says, handing her a filled glass.

Mary and Francis share a glance before she looks down at the drink in her hand. "Uh... I-I don't want a glass."

"When have _you_ ever rejected wine, Mary?" Kenna asks her, sipping her own. "I know you're trying but one glass won't kill you."

"Actually," Francis drawls, giving Mary an affirming smile.

Mary presses her hand against her flat tummy. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh," the other couple reply, their eyes wide.

Mary beams. "Yeah. I'm four weeks pregnant."

Kenna slowly downs the rest of her wine before placing her glass down and breaking out into a squeal. "Oh my God. You're having a baby, it's real!"

Mary laughs when Kenna pulls her into a tight hug, refusing to let her go. "Yep. It's happening," she says as Francis accepts a hug from his brother. "It's finally happening."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Mary and Francis have spoken to their little one for the first time and have revealed their baby bliss news to Kenna and Bash. At this point in the story, Mary is four weeks pregnant.


	12. Overexcited Mothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary's mother finds out and Mary and Francis are just too cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a new story exclusive for Ao3 called Le Regne about Francis ruling as King of France in modern 21st century. It's quite a long story, I hope you all enjoy that and this next chapter of Mary and Francis's journey into becoming parents. I have great plans for their future as parents.

"I thought we weren't telling everyone?"

"I know," Mary says, hunched over the toilet. "God, I feel awful."

"That's morning sickness for you," Francis replies when his phone continues blowing up with texts from various family members and friends. "At least they kept it to themselves for two weeks..."

Mary chuckles before glaring up at him. "Aren't you going to help me?"

Looking down at her, Francis purses his lips before shaking his head. "No, you're good," he teases her.

Scoffing, she pulls his trousers down, making him yelp. They may be a couple but he sometimes acts as if they're friends, being so cheekily unhelpful at times but he always makes it up to her and now, he puts his phone away and helps her up.

"Let's get your teeth brushed otherwise I'm never kissing you again," he says, kissing her neck repeatedly as she giggles.

"You just did-"

"On your mouth, silly," he says into her ear as she grabs her toothbrush and toothpaste. He wraps his arms around her waist and nuzzles his face into her neck, rocking her side to side slightly.

Before she sticks her toothbrush into her mouth, she says, "I think Dr Diaz will tell us off for letting everyone know so soon."

Francis chuckles, sighing wistfully as he presses a hand on her belly. "I'm sure it will be okay. Have you booked your midwife appointment?" He asks before she nods. "I still can't believe you're pregnant with our baby..."

Mary smiles as she brushes her teeth, feeling his hands roam her tummy. It's been six weeks since she's been carrying this little bundle of joy and she's excited for the months to come. Each week is a new surprise, morning sickness, backache, body pains but she will bear it all in order to get her baby at the end of it.

"I love you so much," Francis whispers. "Both of you."

Continuing to brush her teeth, Mary taps his hand in reply. _I love you both so much too_.

* * *

"Are you eating?" Her mother worries, checking Mary over once she answers the door. "Dear God." The woman leaves the door for her daughter to enter as she enters her kitchen, her robe flowing behind her as she searches her cupboards. "Mary, darling, the baby will _starve_ in you!"

"Mum, I'm only six weeks preg-"

"You need to feed your child."

"I don't even think they're the size of a tennis ball, Mother," Mary says, taking a seat as her mother rushes from side to side, searching for food.

Marie halts. "Bran flakes? They are healthy and I've bought some fresh grapes for you. Oh, you adored strawberries and grapes when I was pregnant with you. I still can't believe _my baby's pregnant_!"

Mary blushes but smiles widely. Everyone's treating her like the Holy Grail. They mustn't stress her out or give her the wrong foods and drinks and always ask if she needs something so they'll fetch it for her as she sits and basks it all in. She may not even lift a damn finger throughout this whole pregnancy.

"I'm so happy for you," Marie continues on. "I wanted to tell everyone at Church. Oh, you know the vicar's wife, Mrs Dibley? I bumped into her at the supermarket and told her. I'm sure she'll be adding your name to the list of testimonials on Sunday."

"Oh, God, Mum," Mary mumbles, surprised.

"And I've told my Book Club."

"Your Wine Club," Mary corrects her. "So all of your friends know that I'm pregnant? Including the congregation at your church?"

Marie beams. "Of course!" She says. "Well, not the rest of the congregation but soon enough." She shuffles towards the fridge and retrieves the pitcher of water. "Little Harold is going to be a big cousin!"

Mary laughs softly and that's when her phone rings. "Speak of the Devil," she mutters. "Jim."

"Answer it! We must have everyone over to celebrate your news on Saturday. I will prepare your favourite," Marie says, starting to mumble to herself of how she'll plan this small gathering as Mary answers the call.

"Jimmy."

_"Don't call me that."_

"Hey, what's up?" Mary chuckles.

 _"Now that you're expecting, I trust you to look after my son,"_ Jim says. _"The wife and I need to see her grandfather in the hospital. He's... passing away so she needs to say her final 'goodbyes'."_

Mary's sort of an expert now. She babysat for Kenna and Bash the other week so her nephew is no different. She's ready for this and it's great practice. It's just a shame that it's taking her brother's grandfather-in-law's passing away to allow her to look after her nephew.

_"It will be just for the afternoon. Tomorrow."_

"Yes, of course," Mary replies. "Tell her how sorry I am for her..." _It's not exactly a loss right now but it will be,_ she thinks. "That her grandad's dying."

Jim sighs. _"I'll let her know. Thanks, sis."_

"No worries," Mary says. "Oh, and I'm sure Mum will call you later on but we're doing a small celebration party on Saturday."

Her mother grins and gives her a thumbs-up before grabbing her own phone to call a cake company much to Mary's disbelief. A whole cake to celebrate good news? Well, sign her up, she guesses.

 _"To celebrate your baby news? We'll be there,"_ Jim says _. "I have to go but love you."_

"Love you too, and give the family my love," she replies.

_"Will do, bye."_

"Bye," Mary replies, hanging up and turning to her mother. "Just a small cake, Maman. Nothing too spectacular, I wasn't even meant to spill the beans before I was thirteen weeks."

Her mother tuts, redoing her order. "You're no fun..." She mutters under her breath. "Yes, a simple Victoria Sponge..."

* * *

That Saturday, Mary is let into her mother's home to see banners plastered on the walls, congratulating her. She sends her mother a glare who only grins back and shoves a present into Mary's hands as Francis laughs at her expense.

"Free stuff, Mary. Don't reject it!" He tells her, accepting another present.

"Just things for the baby," Marie says, wrapping her arm behind her husband's back.

Mary opens the first present and sees a photo album. "Oh."

"When you were born, I documented every single moment that I could," Marie says, gesturing for Francis to open the next gift box. When he retrieves the item, he pulls out a similar album to the one Mary holds. "A timeline of your life and now..." Marie tears up. "You can do the same for your own baby."

Tearfully, Mary hugs her mother. "It's wonderful, Mama. Thank you so much," she breathes out, sniffling as she wipes tears from the corners of her eyes. "Oh, God..." She opens up the empty album before checking her own and sharing smiles with Francis every time he pops up as they flick through the pages.

"That one," Francis says into her ear, pointing at a photo of them picking flowers in the garden and Francis staring at Mary as she attempts to make hers into a chain. "That is when I realised I loved you."

Mary turns to him and kisses his cheek before flicking to one on her sixteenth birthday. The photo shows her beaming by her large birthday cake as everyone sings 'Happy Birthday' and then she turns to Francis, pointing at her younger self looking at something away from the camera.

"My eyes always searched for you only," she replies.

They share a kiss before their love bubble is disturbed by the doorbell ringing. Her brother, sister-in-law and nephew.

Laughing as they blush and step away with knowing smiles from her mother and stepfather, Marie goes to answer the door.

"And you've brought the cake," Marie gushes, seeing the delivery van behind the young family. "Enter. We have many things to celebrate today!"

By the time dinner rolls around, Mary almost chokes when her mother attempts to be subtle in her bringing up about a particular part of Mary and Francis's relationship. Marriage.

"Well?"

"Maman, we've barely been togeth-"

"You've known each other for decades," her mother drawls with a roll of her eyes. "You are having a baby. In some people's eyes, that may be thought to be marriage itself. Sharing a child."

Francis takes Mary's hand in his and places it on top of the table. "When the time is right, we'll get married."

"I hope so. We have all been waiting for years," Jim mutters. "And I'd like to see a ring around my sister's finger before I die."

Mary scoffs. "Jim, someone would have eventually married me!"

"Little Sister, nobody but Francis would have been a right fit," Jim replies, tutting. "You're like yin and yang. You work in perfect sync."

"That's so sweet, thank you," Mary says. "And... you're right."

"Knew it," Francis says under his breath which receives a kiss on his cheek before he grunts at her kicking him.

"Don't get so cocky, Mr I-Loved-You-Since-We-Were-Five."

Francis chuckles, pressing a kiss on the back of her hand. "Forgive me?"

"Always," Mary whispers happily.


	13. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and Francis get unexpected news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick thing... I've been feeling low lately and even though I've been on top of things regarding my degree, there's always that voice in the back of my mind freaking me out, and I've just been unable to write or do anything lately. Writing makes me happier but lately, I needed time to just destress and think about something else. I'm better now and hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
> 
> Trigger warning: Miscarriage.  
> I'm going to elaborate... I felt like I needed to do this decision, based on two things. First, it happened to Frary in the show and second, following personal views, it made it more realistic. But that doesn't mean it's the end. It's only just the beginning from now on.

_'Dear, Little One,_

_When I first found out about you, I was the happiest person in the world. I couldn't even feel you yet, but I felt flutters like the ones people would get when they feel like something is coming, bad or good. You were definitely good. I'm sorry, I couldn't carry you long enough to meet you and see your eyes open for the first time. I loved you from the moment I felt it in my heart that you were there. I'm so sorry. I will always love you._

_Mummy x'_

Mary doesn't quite know how to feel as she sits, numb to the world. She didn't want to believe it as it happened but having the midwife check her over in silence before excusing herself to fetch a doctor and the both of them giving each other glances and confirming tones, she had to come to terms with it.

Thirteen weeks.

She had thirteen weeks to be a mother, to feel like a mother and then it's taken away, just like that. The blood, the cramps, the tears... Not even Francis's warm arms and tight hugs and sweet words can console her. 

Wiping her cheeks dry, she chucks her pen onto the coffee table and folds up the brief letter she wrote. She seals it up and places it in a box. ' _Baby Stuart-Valois'_. The baby that will never be.

The doorbell rings but she ignores it, putting the box away upstairs in her wardrobe before climbing into bed and pulling the duvet over her head. After all of those cycles to have a baby, she finally gets one and it's gone.

_It's fucking unfair_ , she thinks tearfully, sobs escaping her lips.

"Mary?"

Peeking out of her duvet cave, she finds her mother standing by the door. "Mummy..."

"Oh, Mare-Bear," her mother sighs, getting in the bed and pulling Mary to her chest. "I know, it hurts."

"I really wanted him."

"I know."

"He was beautiful... And then... he was gone," she says, her voice breaking. "Is this how it felt every time before you had me?"

Marie blinks back tears, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. "I felt like a piece of me was taken with them, each time. But when I had you... Oh, all of those pieces came back and I felt _alive_. Mary... this isn't the end of the journey for you. You will have a child, whatever way it may come to be because the world needs mothers like you. Caring, warm, loyal... Any child would be lucky to have you as their mother. Now, listen to me."

"Mum-"

"You're going to grab a shower, brush your teeth and hair and get dressed. Then you're going to put on a boxset and join me and Francis for pizza, hmm?"

Mary lets out a breathy chuckle. "You hate pizza."

"My baby needs me. I'll like whatever she likes if it means she's all better for it," Marie replies, pressing a kiss on Mary's forehead.

Closing her eyes, Mary feels her mother's lips on her forehead and sighs. She holds onto her for a little while longer before getting out of her bed and heading into the bathroom. She's been a mess ever since it happened and all she could do is grieve.

It's been a week now. She would have been fourteen weeks pregnant if the pregnancy remained but it didn't.

April sucks.

"Hey."

Seeing Francis through the mirror, she turns and walks up to him before snuggling into his chest, feeling his arms envelop her.

"We're going to get through this, yeah?" He says, kissing the side of her head. 

Mary nods against his chest, closing her eyes and listening to the beating of his heart. _Maybe we fucked it up by telling everyone too soon_ , she thinks sadly. She doesn't even know if everyone knows yet.

They've not quite been accepting visitors and Francis must have called her mother as a last resort to get some life into her.

"I can’t keep a pregnancy," she starts quietly. "What kind of shitty human being am I?"

"Mary..."

"I've been waiting for this for a long time... And when I got it, I lost it."

Francis pulls away to cup her cheeks and force her to look at him. "These things just happen, Mary, of no fault of anyone. There are no reasons why or warnings... They just happen but you heard what Dr Diaz said. Having a miscarriage does not prevent the chances of carrying another baby into full-term. We're going to try again when you're ready and I'm here-"

"I don't want another cycle," Mary cuts him off. "I don't want to try again. I don't think I can. I'm broken, I just-"

"Hey, it's okay," he hushes her when she starts getting hysterical. "We'll talk about it when you're ready but let's just... let's keep calm. I love you so much, remember that."

She sniffles, nodding. "I love you too," she mumbles.

"And you're going to be okay."

"Yeah..." She says dubiously before sighing and closing her eyes, continuing to listen to his heart.

* * *

"Can I...?"

Kenna looks away from her daughter in shock to see Mary's waiting arms. "Y-Yeah, sure," she says, placing Raven into Mary's arms. "I'm really sorry."

"Yeah," Mary mumbles, smiling down at Raven. "You're such a pretty girl, aren't you?"

"You can try again, you know?"

Mary sighs heavily, turning to Kenna. "I don't think I'm going to be ready for a long while yet."

"It's the shock," Kenna says. "Uh, they're not really spoken about, are they? Miscarriages..."

Mary shakes her head, looking down at the baby who now sleeps in her arm. "No, they're not."

"There's a stigma around it," Kenna continues. "No one quite knows what to say... But I do."

Mary's eyes flicker back to Kenna. "When?"

"I had six before she came along. That's why there are seven years between her and Robin. Every time I was ready... I'd lose the baby. I'd be terrified to tell anyone in case they'd... I was right and then I wasn't. Because of her."

Mary looks back down at the baby and smiles. "So, this isn't the end?"

"No, Mary, of course not! Oh, my darling, it will happen," Kenna says. "I'm telling you not to lose hope. God, I'm so happy whenever I look at Raven and think about the journey I had to have her. You're going to look back at this moment and think 'God, why was I so hopeless?' when you hold your baby in your arms and the next, he's walking and talking and going to school and graduating from university and getting married... You're going to be so surprised, Mary. This isn't the end for you."

"I just need a moment," Mary mumbles. "Before I even think about trying again."

"Trust me, you're going to get what you wish for," Kenna promises her. "Right, help me put her in her crib."

"I'd just like to hold her for a little while. Is that okay?" Mary asks softly.

Kenna blinks back tears and nods. "Of course. She loves her Aunt Mary's warm embrace..." She smiles fondly before standing up. "I'll turn on the kettle then."

Mary's eyes land on the baby in her arms and she smiles, brushing her thumb over the baby's cheek. "Is your mama right? Am I going to give you a little cousin one day?" She smiles when the baby tiredly blinks at her before settling back asleep. "Okay, if you say so..." Then she leans down to whisper to the baby. "I think I'll be ready soon, but right now... I think it's okay to cry."

She doesn't realise that Kenna's listening and smiling to herself before she leaves the room to put the kettle on.

* * *

"I've had a think about..." Mary trails off, waving her hand pointedly as Francis stops eating and looks up to listen. "And I've decided that we should try again."

His face breaks out into a smile as he reaches across the table to take her hand in his. "I'm happy you said that. I didn't want to push you, but you forget... I know you better than you think."

She returns the smile. "Yeah, you do... I've spoken to the girls and my mother and they all encouraged me that... miscarriages don't mean that I'll never get pregnant. In fact, I'm more likely to carry a baby to term within the first six months of a miscarriage."

"Right," Francis says, nodding. "And when is it safe to try again?"

Mary shrugs a little. "Four to six weeks. Just after I get my first period since the miscarriage. It depends."

"Okay," Francis replies, squeezing her hand. "We're going to have a baby, don't worry. And when it's time, we'll call the clinic up again and-"

"I don't think I want an IUI, Francis."

Francis's brows raise. "Okay. Then I'll start researching about IVF-"

"You said something about wanting to put your sperm in the host, herself."

Francis chokes, grabbing a napkin to wipe his mouth. "Mary, we're eating!"

She laughs softly and he realises how much he's missed hearing that sound from her. It feels like forever since she's laughed like that since their loss.

"Francis, I want to have sex. We've been abstaining for God knows what reason... I just, I want to be your girlfriend in every way possible," she tells him. "And it's cheaper to get pregnant if we just do it."

"I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time but did you have to do it now?" He asks.

"Why?"

"Because I want to take you to the sofa right now but you can't have sex yet until..." He gives her a pointed look.

Mary grins. "Well, damn," she says. "Looks like you'll just have to wait then."

"You're going to kill me one day, do you know that?"

Blushing, she digs right back into her dinner. "Yeah. Don't be surprised when you least expect it..."

* * *

Five weeks later, her period comes and she sighs heavily. It's still sore to her and everyone is supportive and saying all the right things but sometimes, she just wonders what if the baby survived?

She's grateful that she's alive and able to try again but it seems strange, to just move on from a baby by replacing it with another. To her at least. As she dwells in her thoughts, she misses Francis entering the bathroom with a grin on his face as he stares at his phone.

"It's done."

"What's done?" She asks, chucking her underwear into the laundry basket after changing it and padding up.

"I've booked us, a week away in Norway, this Winter," he tells her as she washes her hands. "We have the best hotel and get this... The best views to see the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern lights."

Mary's brows raise. "Wow, we're waiting that long to go on a lovely holiday?" She asks, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Well, if we went there now, we wouldn't be able to see them," he replies. "And my mother called to ask if we were planning anything for Christmas to go and see them again and I just thought we needed time with _each other_ so I went and booked it. Just so it didn't look like I was lying to her. She sulks when we're dishonest."

Mary chuckles and nods. "Yeah, that's fine," she tells him. "My period's started..."

"So we can...?"

"Yeah," she breathes out, unsurely. "Do you still want to?"

"Mary, of course, I do. Only, if you want it too?"

Mary nods before sighing. "I just know that we'll probably not get pregnant on the first try and I'm still tracking my ovulation periods and... I can't handle disappointment. At least, when it comes to this."

Francis brushes her hair away from her face, slipping it behind her ears. "I get it. Mary, no matter how long it takes us... we'll get there. And there are other options, as long as we're together and we both love that little guy or girl so much."

"Yeah," she whispers, kissing him softly. "I'm excited about Norway... Couldn't have extended that week into two, could you?"

He laughs. "We'll see but for now, let's just enjoy where things take us..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we're in May and Francis and Mary are finally consummating their relationship, following their loss. Can't wait to give you the next part because their bond is truly special, and it will reflect greatly.


	14. Spanish Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Francis has a plan for Mary and some sexy time leads to unfortunate situations at the end!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, here we have Mary bonding with Francis's mother and sister, Leeza as well as his cheeky nieces, Isabella and Catherine Jr.

"Guess what?"

Mary looks up from her laptop and tilts her head accusingly. "What did you do now?"

Francis raises his hands defensively, a chuckle escaping his lips before he plops down on the bed beside her. "Since we can't go to France for Christmas, my parents booked a little trip away to Spain for a week. To see Leeza and her family."

"So...?"

"I told them we'd go with them."

"Francis!"

"Mary, they just want to see how we're doing," he tells her softly, kissing the side of her head. "And you can get to know them better-"

"I know them well enough," she laughs, giving him a look.

He tuts. "Yes, as my best friend but not my girlfriend..."

"Fine. We can go with your parents to Spain. If you'll come to my mother's family's for Summer in France," she tells him. He gasps. "Yes, we're at that point of our relationship that we're bargaining with whose family we stay with for holidays."

"Fine!" He says, getting out of their bed. "As long as Christmas is ours, I'm fine with whatever plans we have until then."

She gives him a wide smile, shooing him away. "Thank you, now leave me alone to my work, peasant."

"As Her Majesty wishes," he replies, bowing low and dramatically before leaving her in stitches of laughter.

* * *

"Mary! Francis! Over here!"

Mary cringes slightly at the waving older couple, gaining some looks from people around the airport. She then laughs to herself as Francis retrieves their suitcases and she heads towards them, hugging Catherine tightly.

"Oh, my darling!" Catherine gushes. "I wanted to see you personally and tell you how sorry I am..."

It still stings, Mary thinks it might never really go. It's been two months since it happened but she still feels strange about the whole situation. Before she can even say anything, Catherine pulls her away from Francis and his father.

"It's awful," Catherine starts, linking their arms as they head to a restaurant bar. "But it gets better. The grief, the pain..."

Mary smiles wryly. "Yeah, I've been told."

"We struggled to conceive before Francis came and then we had our own football team at the end of it," Catherine says, making them both chuckle. "And I'm sure your mother told you what she went through as well. Just know that you're not alone in this. We're here to support you _and_ Francis."

"I know, I'm grateful for all of you," Mary replies, smiling warmly.

Catherine then takes her to the bar and requests for two cocktails and two Cognacs. "Are you going to try another IUI cycle?"

"No, Francis and I decided we'll try naturally. Well more naturally than having it inserted..." She blushes, feeling the blushing bartender's eyes on her briefly as he continues with his job of making their drinks. "You know what I mean."

Catherine laughs. "Yes. Just relax, keep calm, set the tone and try... Your body knows the stress it's under, it reacts to your emotions and feelings. So if you keep seeing those negative tests, you'll know that you're overthinking it. Don't overthink it. Let it happen when it's time to happen."

"So don't force things?" Mary asks, pausing when the bartender slides their drinks over. He leaves and she continues with, "How's that going to work? I've wanted a baby my whole adult life. I had names and everything before I lost the baby..."

"You'll use them soon enough," Catherine tells her, waving over Francis and Henry. "Mary, I wanted a baby so desperately, I remember going to Church every day, praying for one. I made myself ill, I ended up in the hospital for depression. Then when I got better... there was finally the sunshine I was waiting for."

Their eyes drift over to Francis who's talking to his father as they wheel over their suitcases. Mary studies his golden curls in the light, his bright blue eyes and wide happy smile. She wants her baby to have those features, but most of all, she wants her child to have the purest feature of their father's yet. His heart and soul.

"There's a reason I call him my 'Golden Cherub'," Catherine says, just for her ears only before she takes a sip of her drink and their conversation is over.

_I'll get mine soon enough_ , Mary thinks, accepting a quick kiss from Francis when the men finally reach them and grab their drinks.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Leeza asks immediately when she and Mary have some time alone. "Shit, sorry. You're probably sick of hearing that..."

"It's fine," Mary says kindly, placing a hand on Leeza's forearm. "I'm doing okay."

Leeza smiles and nods. "I struggled after the girls. Philip wanted a son and I miscarried once and well, it just never really picked up from that. For my husband, all of the men in his family had sons they could teach about cars, play Football with and other manly shit they could do. But he only had girls... And I tried, so hard, to give him what he wanted. It got to the point his sister slapped some sense into him and showed him of Bella's love for Football and Kitty's adoration for music."

"You've got smart, little girls," Mary says.

"Yeah, they're advanced for their age," Leeza agrees. "So, Philip started investing time and money in their hobbies and now... Bella just might be called for the Women's Football Team of Spain."

Mary laughs. "I'd be there, cheering at all of her games then."

"Yeah," Leeza says happily. "If Claude of all people can be a mother, despite part-time because her prick of an ex _insisted_ on joint-custody, then you can be a mother too."

"Thanks," Mary laughs, her brows furrowing a little before Leeza makes to leave but she stops her. "Hey, did you ever... excessively buy baby stuff before it happened?"

Leeza takes Mary's hand and squeezes it. "I think we all did at one point... But personally... I did."

She then leaves Mary alone in the conservatory to watch over Bella and Kitty playing Football in the garden. She waves and grins when the girls notice her and squeal. She's been there for a while and when the door opens, they hug her tightly with her pressing kisses on the tops of their heads.

"Uncle Francis is here too with Meme and Pepe."

"No way!" Bella squeals before they leave to greet their other relatives.

Mary smiles after them before turning back to the lovely weather outside, imagining her own child playing with their older cousins. She inhales deeply before releasing it and returning back into the kitchen.

* * *

"You were right..."

"About what?" Francis asks as they get ready for bed that night.

Mary gives him a smile. "It's been lovely, spending time with Leeza, Philip and the girls."

Francis chuckles and brings her into his arms, pressing a long kiss on her forehead. "Before, you weren't willing to talk to anyone. I just thought... I can't understand what you're going through more than a woman who has gone through it can. I thought I was being clever."

Mary slaps his chest lightly. "It's helped, thank you. To know I'm not alone in all of this, that I'm not to blame. Entirely."

"At all," Francis stresses. "Still not your fault."

"But-"

"Still not your fault."

Mary blinks back tears, pressing her lips against his. "Thank you so much." She fingers the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head and chucking it onto the floor before attacking his lips with hungry kisses. 

Gently, he directs her by pushing her to the bed and she falls breathlessly onto the bed before he gets on top of her, peeling her own shirt off her frame. Her fingers make quick work of his belt buckle as he pulls her skinny jeans down, tutting when he starts struggling.

"God, it's so-"

She laughs, helping him and flinging the restricting piece of clothing to the side. She then runs her hands down his chest, pulling his head to meet hers in another starved kiss as he coerces his jeans off and to the floor.

"You're so beautiful," he says against her lips, starting to make a trail of kisses down her jawline and neck.

"I know," she teases him. "Tell me again."

Francis pauses, coming back to look at her face. "You're... so... beautiful."

Smiling widely, a blush staining her cheeks, she pulls his head down for another soft kiss as his fingers undo her bra from underneath her expertly. She laughs into his mouth, taking the item off before feeling his fingers trail up her inner thigh.

"Are you sure you want to do this with your niece next door?" She asks into his ear.

"We've managed to be quiet before," he replies easily, kissing her hard. "And Bella's a heavy sleeper, we're good."

"Not going to ask where you got that vital piece of intel from so just kiss me," she says, giggling when he attacks her skin with kisses.

Come morning, Mary's eyes slowly open before widening at the sight of a very unimpressed Isabella Habsburg-Valois.

"B-Bella!" Mary cries out, swatting Francis awake as she attempts to cover his bare arse up.

"When Mama and Papa say they are wrestling, they make the same noises you did," the girl says. "Next time, do it quietly..." She rolls her eyes hard and leaves, pulling her stuffed dog behind her by its leash.

"Fuck," Francis breathes out, blushing furiously.

"I thought you said she was a heavy sleeper!"

Francis gives her a meek smile. "I may have meant Kitty was..."

Mary scoffs in disbelief before bursting into laughter. "Imagine if that was _our_ kid..." She grows silent, a fond smile gracing her face. "I can't wait to mentally scar our own child by our sex life," she jokes.

Francis laughs, kissing the side of her head. "In due time, my love. Good things come to those who wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise you that Francis's and Mary's future child will walk in on them at least once, haha! Yes, that is confirming that Baking Buns will have a Bun In the Oven at one point that will be here to stay!


	15. Winter Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary and Francis spend Christmas in Norway, resulting in a special moment between the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I've been so focused on another story, I have neglected this one! Never fear, it's back in time for a Christmas chapter ;) It's the second one of the story but seeing as Christmas is so close, I just had to do it! It's a little piece of light in the gloom.

Their hands entwine as they move slow and precise, loving and desperate at the same time. She rolls them over, his eyes looking up with awe at how beautiful she looks. Like a goddess. Every move she makes, he matches, together in sync.

And before long, "Francis, I'm going-"

"Let go, my love," he whispers into her ear and she does, shivering against him. After a while, she questions him but he chuckles, nuzzling his nose into her neck. "You'll make it up to me." It's light and cheeky and she starts pressing kisses down his chest. "Mary, I didn't mean-"

"Shh," she hushes him, planting a deep kiss on his mouth before continuing her mission. "It's Christmas."

They've more or less spent the entire first two days of their Norweigan holiday in bed, neither of them complaining. There is so much to do and they hope to fit them in within the last three days of their holiday, taking the time to thoroughly enjoy each other for now.

"God, Mary!"

Mary chuckles victoriously, melting back into the plush mattress and pillow beside him. "That didn't take much effort."

"I guess I was already nearly there," he mumbles tiredly. "Have we really spent forty-eight hours just having sex?"

She grins, resting her chin on his breastbone. "Are you complaining, monsieur?"

"Non, non," he replies, grinning. "Never."

"You do realise that _this_ isn't your Christmas present, though?" She tells him, sitting up and retrieving a small, rectangle-shaped gift box from the bedside table. She hands it to him as he sits up, covering himself with the duvet as a wave of cold hits him. "Open it."

Francis gives her an exasperated glance, a grin growing on his face as he excitedly opens up his Christmas present from her. He's already surprised her with a handbag and pair of matching heels but her reaction to the heels made him slightly nervous because she stared at them, puzzled, for a while.

He shifts the tissue paper from sight and blinks in surprise at what lays underneath. "Mary. What is this?"

"I think you know what it is," she says cheekily. "Take it out and read it."

Shaking, his fingers clutch the item and he lifts it from the box, bringing it to his eyesight. _'Positive'_. Tears spring to his eyes and he turns to her, mentally questioning if this is real.

"It's real," Mary whispers tearfully, smiling when he hugs her tightly. "I'm pregnant."

Closing his eyes, Francis takes the news in before he's crying too and they're both sobbing messes in the bed. The people next door must think they're crazy at the rate they're blubbering through their tears at their news.

"I found out just before we left for the airport," she tells him, wiping her cheeks. "I had to get Kenna to buy a gift box before she and Bash dropped us off."

"Do they know-"

"I didn't tell her what the box was for. To her, it could have been a watch or something," she cuts him off, making him chuckle as he studies the box. 

"It _does_ look wide enough for a watch," he agrees. "This is the best Christmas gift ever, thank you."

Mary's face falls a little and he sighs, noting the shift in mood. "Francis-"

"I know," he says softly, kissing her lips. "Last year, we were given the same news but you know what? This time feels different. Mary, we're having a baby, we will stay positive, we'll wait until you're fourteen weeks gone and at the end of it all, we'll have a baby."

Mary swallows hard and nods, hugging him tightly. "I'm just terrified."

"It's okay," he assures her, rubbing her back. "No matter what, I love you and I'm here for you."

Sniffling, she says, "I love you and I'm here for you too."

With a smile growing on his face, he looks down at her, into her brown orbs and asks, "Now, should we... celebrate this?" He lifts the pregnancy test back to their line of sight and she laughs, slapping his shoulder.

"I thought you were tired!"

"I've just been inspired," he says, gently placing the test on the bedside table before tackling her down onto the bed with kisses.

After their lovemaking session, they find themselves outside. They're wrapped warm with winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves and they have been treated to hot chocolate as they sit down on their blanket with their marshmallows, strawberries and chocolate dip too.

"Mary, look," Francis says gently, gesturing upwards.

Mary gasps loudly, admiring the green, blue, purple lights above them. "The Aurora Borealis..." She breathes out in awe. "It's so beautiful in real life."

Francis turns to her and smiles, a realisation dawning in him. He's always loved her but her joy and just her existence make him the happiest man in the world. They've practically been soulmates since day one, they don't need to wait like any conventional couple. They're Francis and Mary. They will always be joined in love forever.

"Will you marry me?"

Mary looks at him in shock.

* * *

Mary wishes their holiday was longer because before they know it, they're back in England. Her mother is still away and her brother is around so she decides that it's probably a good time as any to drop off Christmas gifts for him, Harold and her sister-in-law.

"Drive safely," Francis calls out to her when she opens the door. "I love you."

"I will and I love you too," she replies, leaving the house for her car. When she gets there, she greets her brother with a tight hug. "Merry Belated Christmas, Jim."

"Merry Belated Christmas, Mare," he replies, letting her in. "They are in the living room."

She heads into the room, greeting Jim's wife warmly before lifting Harold into her arms. He's already walking and she giggles when he hands her his toy train and presumably wants her to play with him. "Just a minute, I have to give you your presents."

Using her free hand, Harold securely on her hip, she starts handing out gifts and helps her nephew open his. Toy trucks and a set of policeman dress-up clothing for Harold, perfume and scarf for Agnes and cufflinks and a tie for Jim.

"Mary, thank you so much!" Agnes gushes. "You're wonderful. These are wonderful!"

Mary sighs in relief. "I spent two hours in Duty-Free deciding which one I should get you," she says, looking down at Harold. "Do you like your new toys, buddy? Let's try the fireman's truck first." She opens the packet and hands it over to Harold with a wide smile on her face, her lips pecking the side of the infant's head.

"You're looking a little chubbier," Jim muses knowingly and she scowls his way as Agnes gasps, mortified. "Has Francis been feeding you like a pig for slaughter?"

Agnes swats him. "James Stuart!" She turns to Mary. "You look gorgeous. Not all women can pull off looking great with a little bit of weight gain _and_ slim. I wish I had your figure either way."

Mary chuckles. "You know Jimmy," she says, her brother scowling at the nickname. "Always starting fights."

"Don't I know it?" Agnes jokes before Harold starts calling for her. "I think he's hungry. I'll leave you two alone." She lifts Harold from Mary's hold and leaves the room.

"God, I can't keep anything a secret from you, can I?" Mary tells her brother.

"How far along?"

"About eleven weeks," she reveals happily. "We're waiting three more weeks because..."

He nods in understanding. "I'm happy for you. I'd say avoid Mother dearest for those three weeks otherwise the whole Church community will know."

Mary laughs and nods, being pulled up for a hug. "Yeah, that was my plan."

"This one will be something special," Jim tells her softly. "Your rainbow baby."

"You really think so?" Mary asks. "Francis and I are being cautious. We're just taking it one day at a time."

"Good," Jim says. "I'm so happy for you regardless."

Mary swallows hard and digs into her pocket, pulling a ring out and slipping it on. She shows her brother the ring and he laughs in joy, kissing her forehead. "We're getting married too..."

Suddenly, he's overwhelmed with emotion and bites his knuckle to stop any tears. "Oh, God-"

"Jim!" Mary cries out, hugging him once more. "It's okay." She laughs.

"My baby sister's getting married _and_ she's pregnant. I'm allowed to be emotional, okay?!"

"Okay!" She giggles.

"Congratulations, Mary," he says, holding her tightly. "Dad would have been so proud but you know-"

"Three weeks avoiding Mum, I know," she says, chuckling. "I wanted you to know first to ask you if..." She pulls away from him. "You'll walk me down?"

Jim swallows hard. "You know I will," he says tearfully. "I've been waiting to hear that since Dad died. You're all grown up, Mare-Bear. You're getting your fairytale ending."

Mary smiles, blushing. "I wouldn't have got there without you and most of all, the man himself. Francis, he's the best thing in my life and I just wish if we could go back in time, I'd be brave enough to be his sooner. We're not late or anything, we have all the time in the world but more time would be nice too."

"I get what you mean," Jim says, turning in the direction of his wife and son in the kitchen. "Took me a good ten years to ask her to marry me when we finished uni. But everyone works on their own clocks. You just have to make every single second count."

Mary beams fondly, nodding. "Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had you all waiting a little bit to find out whether she said yes or no, did I? I'm so happy to finally give them a successful pregnancy, not really a spoiler because I don't want to hurt my babies too much! They have been through too much already with crazy exes and being in love but not together for years and now their miscarriage but now, they will have their baby and I'm so excited to reveal to you all, in due time, their child.


End file.
